Konoha's Silver-Eyed Witch
by Reploidcactus
Summary: When demons walked the planet, there were silver-eyed warriors with massive swords to fight them. But that was long ago. Currently, those very creatures are extinct and the legends of the silver-eyed warriors have faded into obscure myth. Until now, when a single girl's very existence would threaten the balance of power everywhere. Slight Xover with Claymore.
1. The Beginning Of

Hey all! This is an idea I've had in my head for weeks after I got around to finishing the Claymore manga. I should've done that years ago because it was SO much better than the anime. I'm not sure how frequently I'm going to update the story since I'm an awful procrastinator. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of Konoha's Silver-Eyed Witch.

And obviously, this is fanfiction, so -insert disclaimer here-

* * *

Mito was a cheerful child with bright yellow hair, olive skin and sparkling blue eyes. She looked strikingly like Konoha's Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, but after a few blood tests just to be sure, it was proven to be a negative match. Minato only had one child after all, and he was the village prince. As it were, Mito was an orphan.

Her parents died when she was born during the Kyuubi attack seven years ago. The villagers always look at her with disdain due to her birthday, avoid her, whisper things under their breath, and sometimes outright wouldn't provide the child any sort of service. She heard from whispers that the dark whisker marks on her cheeks were constant reminders of what the people had lost. It didn't entirely make sense to the girl though, since the Yondaime's son had very similar ones, but he was so obviously some kind of hero in their eyes?

Thankfully, their dislike never escalated to violence, even on that single dreaded, celebrated time of the year. Mito sighed to herself and kicked a small rock while a few drops of evening rain were starting to fall. It just wasn't fair. The blonde stuffed her hands into the pockets of her baggy orange pants and continued on the seemingly abandoned road. After people found out where she was living and the word spread, this area of the village almost became entirely vacant. Soon enough, the world was a dreary grey as water fell all around and thick dark clouds loomed over head.

"Great, just what I needed..." Mito was about twenty minutes from the little apartment she'd been given. she only owned the thing because the other kids and the orphanage owner were all uncomfortable around her and it was clear in everyone's eyes that adoption just wasn't going to happen. While she was eternally grateful to the Yondaime for it, and the monthly stipend, she didn't like being there. The feeling of loneliness became crushing at times.

Mito didn't really have a destination in mind, and it was getting late, so she tucked her head low and she resigned herself to making the return trip, only to spin and bump into a much taller figure.

"Oof!" Mito hit the ground with a soft splatter and thud, barely catching herself with her palms. "I'm so sorry, I-"

Before she could properly apologize, the blonde saw a pale hand held out in front of her face. It looked soft and barren of any scars or callouses. Following the hand was a black-robed figure with beautifully pale skin and striking yellow eyes surrounded in purple markings, all contained under a curtain of black silk and an umbrella to keep the rain away. "Let me help you up."

Mito took the hand gingerly and was pulled to her feet by the mysterious stranger. "Ah, thank you! I'm sorry for bumping into you, I wasn't watching where I was going..." The blonde was quick to apologize, afraid of being berated . "I see that." The figure softly chuckled. "What are you doing out here so late? And in the rain without an umbrella, no less?" The genuine curiosity from a silky smooth voice had Mito quickly warming up to the stranger.

"I, uh... Well, I didn't really have any plans... and I don't have an umbrella." Mito looked down at her feet, kicking them idly together. she'd need new shoes soon... "Ah, sorry for wasting your time! I have to get back home!" A gentle hand landed on her shoulder, stopping the girl from running off.

"Would you like me to walk you home? You'll catch a cold if you're out in the rain any longer." The stranger showed a thin smile. Mito was ashamed that such a simple action and gesture made her stomach flip and her heart beat faster. The Yondaime and his wife, and the ramen shop, owners were the only ones she'd ever felt real kindness from, and the child didn't feel any kind of hostility behind the figure's words.

The blonde hesitated for a few moments before nodding. The stranger stepped in line and held the umbrella overhead, keeping the rain at bay.

The twenty minutes back to her apartment flew by in silence, and soon enough, the two of them stood at the front door of Mito's abode. "Thanks for making sure I got back safe, uh..." Mito realized that she didn't even know the other... she also realized that she couldn't even tell if they looked male or female. Even their voice was hard to discern, other than the silky smoothness, like that of a snake's hiss. "Orochimaru. And you?"

"Oh, uh...! I'm Mito! Nice to meet you!" The girl sheepishly smiled and rubbed at the back of her head. "Nice to meet you too, Mito-chan. And of course, it wasn't a problem." Now that they were under the room of the apartment complex, they were safe from the rain and the pale figure could close the umbrella. Orochimaru even handed it off to Mito with a kind smile. "A gift, for our meeting."

"I-... I can't take that! It's yours!" As she tried to hand it back, the object was just pushed against her chest by an open palm. "Take it, I have plenty." With that, the black-cloaked figure started to walk away, but was stopped by the smaller blonde. "W-Wait! Will I be able to meet you again?" It was pretty obvious just at first glance how lonely the girl was.

"Of course, Mito-chan. I look forward to it. How about the same time next week?" Orochimaru turned around just to nod at the girl and smile.

Mito, ecstatic and lost for words, only nodded her eagerness before rushing into her home and slamming the door behind her. Orochimaru merely chuckled and shook his head before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

"And then I punched him square in the nose and he ran off crying!" It'd been about seven months since Mito and Orochimaru had become acquainted, and the pale man's visits had become a frequent thing. In that time, the blonde learned that Orochimaru was a fairly strong and high ranked ninja, which only made Mito even happier to be acquainted with him. The Densetsu no Sannin of Konoha were legendary, as the name implies.

He refused to show anything other than the basic clone Jutsu, though, to Mito's disappointment. On Orochimaru's end, he'd gotten a few questions about his visits as well as the few times he'd taken Mito out for Ramen. His response was always the same: "The girl is lonely. Someone besides the Hokage should be there for her." Even his teammates were a bit skeptical, but neither of them had seen the girl smile more than when she was with the dark-haired Sannin.

Currently, Mito was somewhat exaggerating her tale of how she save a poor young puppy from the torment of a few older boys. Only one of them was brave enough to stand up to the whiskered girl. He even called Mito a 'demon' and said it's what he's heard his dad say. And apparently, the older boy didn't know what hit him.

"Impressive, Mito-chan. You'll make a fine shinobi yet. Are you excited to start school in a few months?" Normally school was a dreaded word to any civilian child, but to the potential shinobi and kunoichi, it couldn't make them more excited.

"Absolutely! I can't wait to shoot fire balls or learn how to throw kunai or run on water, or-" Orochimaru held up a hand to cut the hyper child off of her rant. "Patience, Mito-chan. You're only seven. You won't be doing any of that right away. Even most Genin can't make a fireball until a year into their career." Granted, young Uchiha Itachi is already a member of the ANBU Black-Ops team and he's only in his early teens. Orochimaru himself could use B-Rank Jutsu in his early career.

Mito groaned and fell into her beat up chair, the wood creaking underneath her weight before she picked up her cup of green tea. She didn't like the leaf water at first, but after constant visits from the snake Sannin, who insisted it was his favorite, it grew on her. A little sugar helped too. "But you were amazing when you were younger!" He might've indulged the girl's curiosity with many tales from his own Genin years. "I also had a great teacher."

Mito kicked her legs a little. The Sandaime was pretty great. How couldn't the man named 'The God of Shinobi' and that gave his life to stop the Kyuubi be great?! "If only the Yondaime was still taking on teams..." But then again, Sarutobi wasn't the Hokage when he had his team of Genin.

"He might not be, but remember, he had a team himself, and they're all going to be Jounin when you graduate." Orochimaru's words seemed to lift Mito's spirits easily.

"You're right, Orochi-nii-san! Maybe I can get on one of their teams!" Mito let out an audible gasp and looked right into the Sannin's snake-like eyes. "Maybe you can even make me an apprentice! That'd be like, a hundred times better than being a team!" Before the blonde could hype herself up too much, the pale man gently shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"I'm sorry Mito-chan, I already have an apprentice and I don't plan on having a team." The news was a shock to say the least. "I couldn't possibly handle two of you. And besides, my research isn't something for the faint of heart."

"What?! No way! I'd be like, a million times better than them in just a few years!" Mito jumped out of her chair, nearly knocking it over. The fire in the young girl's eyes reminded Orochimaru of his teammate, Jiraiya, when the two were still Genin. "And I don't care how faint of heart it is, I know I can help if you'd let me try!" Mito wasn't going to give up on being the snake Sannin's apprentice, even after she graduated.

"How about I make you a deal, Mito-chan? I have a project I'm working on and I've had very little success with it so far. Lend me your assistance for a week, and if I make any significant progress, I'll consider making you an apprentice after you graduate." Orochimaru's lips formed a thin smile as his silken words floated about in Mito's child brain.

"Yesyesyesyesyesyes! Of course I'll help, didn't I just say I could!?" The blonde was ecstatic. Dreams of one day being an awesome shinobi that the village would look up to seemed closer and closer by the second. If she could learn from one of the greatest ninja to ever live, her name could go down in history books without a doubt!

"I can see you're eager. It won't be easy though. Prepare for a week of Hell." Orochimaru stood and let out an ominous chuckle as he pulled on his dark robes. The sun had set by this point, so it'd be easy for them to sneak by any patrols. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and opened her window, the two of them vanishing in a swirl of leaves soon after.

* * *

Minato sighed with frustration as he looked at the stacks of paperwork around him. There were about half a dozen papers littering the immediate area in front of the Yondaime. Each one was the same file; a missing person's report. They had an image of the person, as well as a physical description and a time frame for disappearance. All of them had something in common though; they were all orphans, or had no immediate family to speak of.

The one in his hand was special though. It was a child with blonde spiky hair and whisker markings. This one was newest as of only a week or so ago. Apparently the girl's neighbor was the one that filed the report when he hadn't heard her normal raucous behavior for almost a week. But how hadn't he noticed?

It didn't make sense.

Minato had an agent almost always watching the child, since she was a special case. Being the Hokage, he couldn't exactly show any favoritism towards the girl, especially since he had his own son to worry about. The villagers as well as the counsel would be on his ass about it. He knew Orochimaru had taken a liking to the ninja-prospect, but the Sannin couldn't be behind it. He'd left on a mission a full three daya before Mito's neighbor started to hear the eerie absence of the dorm next to theirs. Or maybe...

"Minato."

The Yondaime looked up from the papers with a jolt. How long was it since he last blinked? "Jiraiya-sensei? What are you doing here?" The white-haired Gama Sannin slid down from his perch on the open windowsill.

"I think I found where the missing civilians are. I don't want to believe it myself, but Orochimaru's always been a slippery bastard. He's never been that fond of children either, so when he took a liking to that Mito girl, I couldn't help but be a little suspicious." Jiraiya held a grimace and his teeth were clenched tightly. "I really hope I'm wrong."

Minato nodded and stood from the Hokage seat before making a quick hand-seal and flaring his chakra. Within a second, four Anbu members appeared in the room, and in the next second, all six were leaping from the open window.

The laboratory was on the outskirts of the village, allowed by the Sandaime when Orochimaru had asked for a private study to practice more dangerous research. Of course, Minato allowed it to continue, but to think he'd experiment on civilians?

A subtle earth Jutsu dug up the entrance and the group descended down the stairs into a large chamber with unlit torches. Minato pulled a scroll out of his vest and unfurled the blank sheet. Applying some chakra to the floor, the room lit up with bright green kanji. It was a seal to sap chakra from Jutsu and keep the doors from being forced open. "I can crack it, but it'll take some time." With the others standing guard, the Yondaime went to work.

Wherever Orochimaru got this seal from, it was incredibly complex to the point even his wife, who's skills were a level above his own, would have trouble breaking it.

"Kai!" The seals glowed, lighting the room in a sickly green before the sound of shattering glass could be heard and the glow vanished, leaving the room lit by dull torches. "Mito, I hope you're safe..." Minato and Jiraiya stood together, chakra focusing in the center of their palms.

* * *

How long had it been? How long since the pain became a constant state for the young girl? How long since her Nii-san promised he'd come back? How long since the lights went out? The cold stone floor was the only reminder that she hadn't been sent to Limbo or something, with only the dirty and tattered blanket she kept close to keep her naked body warm and covered.

"...-_**gan!**_"

A deafening explosion rocked the room and the dust could even be seen from her cell.

"Kami-sama... I can't believe it." Even the words spoke had become deafening to her sensitive ears, but it was numbed by the constant pain she felt.

"I can't believe that rotten snake! He's going to to rot in a cell for the rest of his life." A gruff voice stated firmly as it drew closer to her cell. "Wha- Hey, Minato! Come here, quick!" The sound of metal screeching as it was wrenched apart nearly caused her ears to bleed.

"M...ito? Kami-sama, Mito! What the hell did that bastard do to you?!" Gentle hands lifted her sore body from the cold floor and cradled her. The girl was nearly unrecognizable in this state. She looked thin and her skin was paler than before, but those weren't the most shocking changes. Her hair, once a vibrant blonde like Minato's, was now a platinum-pale blonde more like the Yaminaka's. And when the girl opened her eyes, Minato could only gasp.

Rather than sparkling, excited blue staring up, he gazed down into dull silver eyes.

"Nii-san..? He... he wouldn't hurt..." Mito tried to speak, but her voice was hoarse and dry. After a moment more of silence, she started to sob into the Yondaime's chest. Lifting the blonde up, Minato could only note how light she seemed.

"The ANBU have already retrieved the bodies and begun transport. I'll clean up here and meet you at the hospital." The word 'bodies' wasn't something so easily ignored. Whatever research Orochimaru had been conducting, Mito was the only survivor it seemed.

Jiraiya immediately made five Shadow Clones and began to search high and low for any kind of paperwork or tools they could recover, but Orochimaru was meticulous with removing any evidence of his work. The Sannin was about to give up and start collapsing the lab when a glimmer of something wet caught his eye on a surgical table.

It was a small scrap of dark, almost rotten looking flesh that had something very... off about it. Sealing it away, Jiraiya left the lab after demolishing and sealing it up with a few earth Jutsu.

Minato paced outside the room where Mito rested, trying to calm his nerves. When he'd arrived with the girl, the whole hospital flew into a panic. Senju Tsunade, the third of the Sannin team and the lead of the hospital, was present with a few nurses in a matter of seconds. A room was prepped and the girl was laid on the bed and ragged blanket removed.

As soon as it was though, Tsunade and Minato were shocked into nearly losing their stomachs while the three other nurses almost threw themselves out of the window before losing their stomachs in the grass a few floors below. It was the most disturbing thing they'd ever seen done to a child.

According to the verbal Anbu reports, all of the others, all deceased, had the same bodily mutilation and the same basic changes done to them. Pale blonde hair and silver eyes.

After what felt like an eternity, Tsunade walked out of the room and removed the bloody gloves she wore. She was a tall woman with light blonde hair and looked no older than her late twenties. She was also well endowed and carried herself with a confidence that few other ninja could match. "She's stable, but no matter what we try, _it_ just won't close properly. Isn't the... Isn't _that_ supposed to provide some sort of natural healing ability? Naruto's cuts heal in mere seconds, so something like that would take a few hours at best with how well it's been maintained."

"Naruto has a better connection to his half. I took extra steps to make sure Mito wouldn't be in contact with her half of the fox so early. Even still, it's likely the reason she's still alive like that." The Kyuubi. It wasn't a being to be defeated easily, and was way more power than any one person should handle.

Minato couldn't leave his son to the fate of carrying a chakra beast of that size, so he developed a special seal with the help of his wife, Namikaze-Uzumaki Kushina, to split the chakra in two. With the Shiki Fujin, Minato was going to seal the parts into his son and an orphan child unlucky enough to be born on the same day. Sarutobi, his predecessor, wouldn't allow the Yondaime to give his life like that, and took the man's place.

They knew that the Kyuubi's seal would be weak during childbirth, so Minato and Kushina had taken the precaution to prepare for multiple scenarios. He'd done what he could for Mito, but he was adamant at trying to give the child a normal life. It seemed like it wouldn't pan out that way...

The other nurses had since left, and it was only Minato and Tsunade left making small talk by the door until they could hear gentle sobbing from the other side of it. Slowly creaking the door open, the Yondaime and hospital head stepped through, though it seemed like Mito hadn't noticed.

"*hick*O-Orochiii-niii-sa*hick*ann..." The girl sobbed into her hospital gown. The abandonment had taken its toll among the other trauma the girl received.

"Mito?" Minato started softly and slowly lowered himself into the seat next to the sobbing girl. Said girl immediately jerked away and nearly fell off the bed and into her hospital equipment. she immediately scrambled to leave, but Tsunade was there to intercept and hold the openly blubbering girl. She was silent, and the two waited for as long as she needed to calm down.

By the time that came, Mito had passed back out from exhaustion. "We'll just have to talk to her in the morning. What are you going to do?"

Minato weighed his options, then sighed and brushed a hand through his own spiky locks. "I'll do what I should've done in the beginning, but I'll have to talk to Kushi-chan and Naruto-kun first." Tsunade laid Mito back down and even tucked her into bed before the two left for the night.

The next morning, Mito was in a much calmer, meeker state. She was understandably distrusting of everyone, even the Hokage. It was to the point that Tsunade was the only hospital member she allowed in the room, and the Hokage as the only visitor. They at least still had small amounts of trust.

"How're you feeling?" Minato made sure to be gentle with his tone and make sure each of his movements were obvious and slow.

"...Better." Mito wouldn't go into detail. she didn't feel like talking. She didn't feel like anything. The pain in her body had been the only thing she could hold onto for so long, and now even that's gone, replaced by a numbness.

"Good." Minato fell into a stiff silence, as he wasn't sure about what to ask or say. To be betrayed by the only person that seemed to care? The only one that seemed to be there on the loneliest of days? It was time.

"Mito. I want to ask you something. And of course, you can decline if you want." While the girl didn't look at him, he had the child's attention. "How would you like a family? I talked it over with my wife and son, and we all agree that-" He paused, watching Mito's shoulders shake. The girl's eyes were closed and tears were rolling down her cheeks while she tried to keep it all in. "You don't have to answer me now. I'll give you some time to think it over." Minato stood and quietly left the room.

Namikaze-Uzumaki Mito was moved in by the end of the week.

The first meeting with the Yondaime's son had been an interesting one to say the least. The once energetic girl was extremely reserved and even hid behind the Hokage for a solid hour before his son's antics had gotten the best of her. He'd tried everything from silly faces to strange little dances he made up on the spot. The moment Mito's silver eye peeked out from behind Minato's body was the moment Naruto pounced.

"Aha!" His hands grabbed onto her's, releasing the Yondaime from the girl's tight grasp. "I'm Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto! I'm gonna be the next Hokage, dattebayo!" His grin alone lit up the room. Mito's gaze, unsure but curious, stared into him like drills. His eyes had been so much like her's before. His hair too, in color. All before...

With everything fresh in her mind, the seven year old started to tear up. She'd seen herself in a mirror while in the hospital, and now she'd forever be reminded of a tragedy she was at the center of.

Naruto started to panic, his head swiveling from side to side in an attempt to find something, anything that might cheer her up. His arms wrapped tightly around her lithe and malnourished frame. She'd been given some loose fitting clothes that would have to do until the girl's health returned to a normal state.

Mito was shocked. Too shocked that even her tears stopped in their place. Slowly, carefully, her arms raised up and returned the hug, and the tears flowed freely again. Kushina and Minato, who'd only been watching up until this point, fell into the hug too and the family stayed that way until Mito's tears stopped and her shoulders calmed.

"Mito-chan," Kushina smiled at the silver-eyed girl. It was kind and full of warmth and motherly love. Her curtain of red hair had its own ethereal glow to it, as did her amethyst colored eyes. In young Mito's mind, this was a family of angels. "Let me show you around."

The house was magnificent. The living room was easily the size of the apartment she used to have, bedroom included. They had a garden to fuel Kushina's hobby, which apparently Naruto had started taking after. Like most of the larger village clans, they even had a private training ground to use.

"And here's your room, Mito-chan. You can have the rest of today to get yourself acquainted since you must be very tired. Tomorrow, we go shopping.~" The sweet tone of her voice almost made the light-blonde shiver with an unknown fear before she nodded and shuffled along, flopping limply onto her bed.

It was so soft and warm... A snoring could be heard coming from that room for the rest of the day.

Kushina closed the door gently and made her way downstairs. It was a surprise that Minato had brought this up to her so suddenly, but honestly, it was about time. She'd suggested it before, but it was always "the counsel this," or "the counsel that". Thankfully, he finally decided that they need to stuff it up their-

"Kushi-chan, Tsunade's here!" Minato called from the kitchen. He was putting on a pot of tea for them, and said Sannin had made herself at home on a stool at the counter. Naruto sat nearby trying to pester the older blonde for 'super training'.

"Oh? It's good to see you baa-chan!" The redhead ducked a teacup that shattered against the wall, a grin adorning her lips. She took the seat on the other side of her and took a cup of hot tea between her fingers. "What do we owe the pleasure?"

"Can't I just see my favorite god-child?" She sounded huffy while she ruffled the boy's hair, earning a 'Hey!'. "But in all seriousness, I have bad news about Mito." Kushina and Minato shot each other a look. "It's nothing that Naruto can't hear. Besides, he'd find out eventually." Even the seven year old could feel the mood growing tense.

"It has to do with her chakra. We ran the tests again and again. About a dozen times to make sure there weren't any mistakes. It's very possible she'll never make it as a ninja." It was no secret that she wanted to be one. She practically yelled it everywhere when someone snubbed her.

"You mean...?" Minato could only fear the worst. Not only was she traumatized by one of the people she trusted most, she was going to find out that her dream was crushed too.

Tsunade let out a soft sigh and shook her head. "No, they're not ruined. Not quite. They're growing at an accelerated rate, in fact. It's sort of like Naruto's in a way. Except, Mito's coils are also growing thicker. It'd be hard for her to use even C-rank Ninjutsu. As she grows, she'll develop an extremely dense chakra as well as a significant amount of it." Tsunade sighed again and pulled up a flask from her side before taking a swig from it.

"That's just fine!" Naruto shouted from her side, nearly making Tsunade cough up her sake. "There's a boy in the academy that can't even use chakra, and he's trying his hardest! I'm sure if Mito tries just as hard, she'll be able to do it!" He'd only just met her, but the confidence in his young voice for his new adopted sister had his parents smiling.

Tsunade gave the boy a pat on the head and another hair ruffling, making him laugh. "You're right, squirt. It's not impossible, but it'll be a hard road ahead. Most Genin get their start on D- or C-ranked Jutsu, and if she can't use those, she'll be at a disadvantage with her learning in the future. Not to mention chakra control is almost entirely out of the question."

The Yondaime set the teapot down on the counter after pouring his own cup. "We'll be sure to tell her when she's ready to hear it, but if her dreams remain the same, this would just be a small bump in the road.

"Tomorrow's a brand new day for her. Now she has a family that she can lean on in times like this. After we earn her trust, of course." Kushina was already growing attached the Mito. When she looked into those silver eyes, she saw a spark that refused to die underneath the dullness that was pulled to the surface.

Kushina gently pulled the light-blonde along by the hand, a care free smile adorning her face. Mito looked around timidly, doing her best to avoid any the villager's gazes. When she looked into their eyes, there was... nothing? Only curiosity? Did they not recognize her? The whisker marks hadn't gone away, though they weren't quite as prominent as before. Maybe it was Kushina's presence.

The door to the clothing store jingled as it was pushed open. "Welcome to- Oh! Kushi-chan!" A black-haired woman came from behind the counter and hugged the redhead tightly. "How're you- Oh, who's this?" She seemed the slightest bit scatterbrained, but who could blame her when the wife of the Yondaime walks in holding hands with a child that wasn't her son.

Kushina grinned and held up Mito's hand. "This is Mito-chan! She's the newest member of our family. Mito-chan, this is Mikoto-chan, my best friend." Mito gripped the woman's hand tighter and used her other to offer a shy wave.

Mikoto's onyx eyes widened a little. She'd heard stories. The demon child, they called her, but the Uchiha matriarch knew the full story thanks to her best friend. "I'm so happy for you! I hope they treat you well.~" She flashed a smile filled with warmth and motherly love, which caused the silver-eyed girl's pale cheeks to flush red. Motherly love. She'd never known it before yesterday, but that was the only emotion she could place on that and Kushina's smiles.

"To commemorate, I'll let you have an outfit for free! All you gotta do is smile for me." Mikoto waved Mito off into the fairly large store. Thankfully, it seemed almost entirely empty.

Kushina stayed up by the counter and just watched the girl flit around nervously, a small smile on her face. "So how's Sasuke-kun and Itachi-kun?" It wasn't like Kushina didn't see them often enough, but who knows what could happen in the span of a few days.

"Itachi's as serious as always. He really needs to lighten up, but I think I managed to convince him to cool down on the ANBU missions. And Sasuke's just started training on the Uchiha right of passage." A fireball was a basic C-rank Jutsu that EVERY Uchiha shinobi and kunoichi knew, and was a requirement to learn before they were allowed to graduate the academy.

Mito was making small amounts of progress, picking out an article of clothing here or there and putting some back if she decided she didn't like them.

"How about we have you all over for dinner again tomorrow? It'll be nice to introduce Mito to another person her age, and Naruto's been begging to see Sasuke and Itachi again." Kushina leaned on the counter a bit. Her son was a little ball of energy that just didn't stop. He always had to see if he could one-up his rival, and of course, try to get some tips on training from the young ANBU captain.

Mikoto beamed, "That's a great idea! Maybe having a girl around for Sasuke to get used to will soften his rough edges a little bit." They both perked as a frustrated noise made itself known from one of the clothing isles. "You should go help your daughter before she starts pulling her hair out." Mikoto teased and Kushina giggled before making her way over.

When all was said and done, they had a few articles of clothing in hand and an outfit specifically for training.

"Thanks again Mikoto-chan! I'll see you in tomorrow!" Mito managed a slight wave on the way out, and a very small smile as payment. It was about all she could manage.

Minato and Kushina worried that they might be piling too much on Mito at once, but they made the argument that the faster she could acclimate to her new home, the faster she'd be able to start healing. And anything that took her mind off of what happened was probably a good thing.

The day passed quickly, and soon enough there was a knock at the front door. Mito had been getting herself dressed when she heard her name called. "Naruto-kun, Mito-chan! Come down please!" The thundering stomps of her adoptive brother's feet could be heard pounding across the floor as he nearly vaulted the staircase.

The silver-eyed girl was much slower to make her way down, nervously dragging her feet. She wore a loose fitting orange t-shirt and a pair of knee-length black shorts. Her short hair was unruly, sticking out here and there. Try as she might, she couldn't tame it before the Uchihas arrived.

There was an older man with a freshly shaved face. His hair was a light brown that was parted in the middle to frame his square features. He looked stern and had the facial lines to match. Mikoto looked as stunning as she had the day before, her eyes closed in a soft smile. Her black hair was pulled into a loose ponytail that draped over her shoulder.

In front of them was a tall boy that looked like he was chiseled from a statue. His peaceful, soft eyes betrayed the emotionless mask he had set behind the high-collared Uchiha-brand shirt. His face was angular, and he had two lines like his father along the sides of his nose going towards the corners of his mouth.

The smaller boy next to him wore a similar high-collared shirt, but his hair stuck up in the back and he looked a lot more like his mother than he did his father. The youngest Uchiha was currently having a glare contest with her adoptive brother.

"Hi Mito-chan!" She'd gotten close enough for the family to take notice of her with Mikoto waving her arm excitedly.

"Hnn." The Patriarch grunted. She was nothing impressive in his eyes.

Itachi, the older brother, was just curious. He'd watched over the girl once or twice as part of his ANBU duty, and even silently removed one of the drunks that tried to break into her apartment one night. Thankfully, she knew nothing about that. He was informed of her changes, but to see them was something else.

Sasuke broke his glare with his rival and pushed him out of the way, slinking closer to Mito while the Uchihas made themselves comfortable in the Yondaime's home.

Minato always made it a point to leave a Shadow Clone in the office so he can spend the time with his family and friends. While Fugaku wasn't really a 'friend' to him, Itachi and Sasuke were pleasant to be around and Mikoto and Kushina were almost inseparable. As it was, he put some tea on before taking a seat at the kitchen table with the other adults. Dinner was almost ready to be served, and really just needed finishing touches, but a quick chat beforehand wouldn't hurt.

Sasuke peered hard at Mito's face as if trying to stare a hole through her. If it wasn't for her silver eyes and platinum blonde hair, it'd be hard to tell that she was adopted. She even had similar whisker marks. With her hair as short as it was, it was hard to even tell she was a girl. "Your hair is stupid-"

_**CRACK!**_

There was a yelp as Sasuke landed on his ass, one hand holding his nose as his eyes teared up. The chatter died immediately and some chairs scratching at the wood floor could be heard. "What the fuc-?!"

"Ahahaha!" Naruto's guffawing echoed through the living room. Both hands were clasped over his stomach and he was trying his hardest not to fall over.

"M... Mito-chan?" Kushina was the closest and seemingly the most shocked. Aside from Mito herself, who's eyes shimmered with wetness as she stared at her fist, flecks of blood spattered on her knuckles. "I... didn't mean..."

A soft hand placed itself on top of her head. It wasn't Kushina's or even Minato's, but Itachi's. "I apologize for my brother for upsetting you. He's a bit dimwitted." The slightly older boy smiled at her. It was serene and beautiful. Mito's face blew up bright red and her eyes cast to the floor in any attempt to avoid his gaze. The dining room had a clear view of the living room, so he likely saw everything.

After the initial shock, Naruto helped Sasuke off the ground while Kushina got something for his nose, then ushered everyone back to the dinner table. Minato poured everyone a cup of tea before sitting at the head of the table with Uchiha Fugaku on the opposite end. Kushina and Mikoto were next to each other with Sasuke on the other side of his mother, and across from them were Mito, Itachi, and Naruto. Kushina had made a delicious looking ham, and Mito couldn't help the rumble in her stomach that beat out even Naruto's.

The soft chuckle it earned from Itachi had the poor girl blushing up a storm. Her eyes raised slowly to stare into the cup of green tea in front of her, a small amount of sugar added for sweetness.

It was his favorite tea.

_It was his favorite tea._

Her chest felt tight and her skin felt clammy. Her throat seemed to have gained an ever growing knot in it while her stomach flipped. Her breathing grew shallow as her hands shook, taking the cup slowly as Minato raised his own for a toast. A toast in her honor, to welcome her to the family. Try as she might, she couldn't stop. The images that flashed in her tea were too real. Too familiar. She could still feel his knife as it-

"Mito-chan?"

The porcelain cup shattered in her hand and the hot liquid spilled all over the table and her lap. Shards had stuck themselves in her palms, drawing blood. Her eyes were unfocused and she was starting to hyperventilate.

"Itachi! Get her to the bathroom!" Giving a simple nod, the teen lifted the shaking girl into his arms and carried her off. Sasuke was the only one that didn't seem in the know about what just happened and raised an eyebrow at Naruto, who could only shrug with a worried look.

Itachi, being the closest one, had seen what the other's hadn't as he pulled the shards of porcelain from Mito's palms. Her eyes flashed between the silver they were to a striking yellow-orange color with her pupils turning slitted. Veins briefly bulged around her features as she tried to calm down. The wounds in her palms sizzled away to nothingness, leaving only dry blood in their wake. Itachi had seen the look in her eyes previously. What exactly had the child gone through to experience this kind of trauma?

By the time Kushina and Minato arrived with proper medical supplies, the teen managed to get her to calm down to subtle shaking. "I believe we have something to talk about, Hokage-sama."


	2. It's Graduation Day

I think the first chapter was enough of a success to kick things off and I hope you've all enjoyed it! Since we're early on, I do have some kind of idea for pairings, but nothing's totally set in stone yet. Without further ado, here's the next chapter!

* * *

-Six years later-

Mito sighed to herself as she listened to the teacher drone on and on about the the First Hokage. What the man could do was interesting, sure, but did they really need to know the names of all of his pet squirrels? History was important to learn, but man was it boring. Half of the class had already fallen asleep, but it seemed like their sensei didn't notice. Or maybe he didn't care? Maybe he even put himself to sleep and was just reciting the book from memory.

"The Shodaime was most known for his Kekkei Genkai of Mokuton Jutsu, having created the vast forests that surround the- WAKE UP!"

Umino Iruka's head grew to an exponential size, his voice booming through the room and shaking the windows. He was a darker-skinned man with a high pony-tail and a scar crossed over his nose, wearing a traditional Chuunin uniform. The whole class snapped to attention, even the Nara heir who'd been deep asleep since class started.

Iruka shook his head a little and set the book he was reading from down on the desk nearby. "Look, I know there's only a week left before graduation tests, but you can't afford to slack off now. Especially not when most of you are the next heirs of your clans."

It was true. If Mito threw a stone into the room, the chance it'd hit a clan heir was incredibly high. Almost all of the new generation had heirs born in the same year, it seemed.

The silver-eyed teen had definitely grown over the years after being adopted. Her cheeks rounded out a bit more, giving her a bit of cute chub to them and her hair grew out to her shoulders in some kind of unruly bob. Kushina refused to let her cut it shorter than that though, since she insisted that her hair made her look 'oh-so-adorable'.

It was still a pale blonde. Even when she tried to dye it, every little bit of dye she used washed right back out, like the color was being rejected. Mito's whisker-marks had darkened just a tad, but mostly remained the paler lines as they were after what happened so long ago.

The girl's chest was budding out, only being beaten by the Yamanaka heir, though Mito had suspicions about the Hyuuga.

Mito was wearing the outfit she'd picked out with Kushina that day, tailored to her current size. It was a light red material that was made out of the same stuff the Chuunin flak jackets were, clipped together over her right breast, and left her arms bare from the shoulders down. A belt of pouches wrapped around her waist, separating the flak material into a loose, flow-y fabric that went down to her knees.

Like her arms, the sides of her legs were left open by long slits on the fabric, showing off the knee-length shorts underneath that clung to her legs. Mito's arms were adorned with forearm length black gloves and her feet were covered in standard shinobi sandals.

"Just as a reminder, the graduation tests will be comprised of a written test, a Taijutsu test against either myself or Mizuki-sensei, an accuracy test, and finally, your Ninjutsu trial. It won't be easy, so PLEASE use this time to study up and practice." Iruka sat himself in his chair.

They were being given a full week of practice and review at home before their graduation, with Iruka using the last of their time in the academy to go over some review questions the students might have.

"Alright, dismissed. I'll see you all next week." As soon as he said those words, the class erupted with thunderous steps as they funneled through the small door, with some opting to jump from the windows since they were on the first floor.

Mito was one of the few that jumped from the windows. A classroom like that was just too stuffy with all the expensive perfumes that some of the kunoichi prospects liked to wear. She made it to the single tree with a swing outside the front to see Naruto standing there, waiting for her. The two grinned at each other before making their way back home.

"Kaa-chan, we're home!" Naruto called out after loudly pushing the door open. Mito slipped in behind him and started to slip her shoes off when Kushina interrupted.

"Don't get too comfortable," The redheaded woman smiled brightly. "We're going out again! Mina-kun's still got work to do, but us three are going to pick out your graduation presents, 'ttebane!"

Mito paused in her tracks, a shinobi sandal hanging halfway off her foot. "Already? But shouldn't we be getting those if we pass?"

Her brother didn't seem to care, already jumping up and down like a hyper rabbit. "Alright! Let's go, let's go! Don't worry about it, Mito, we're shoo-ins for passing easy, dattebayo!" Kushina seemed right there with him in her excitement, prompting the pale blonde to shake her head and smile.

"We're going over to Higurashi's Weapon Shop. Every ninja needs a tool that they can pull out to give them an upper hand. Since you'll very likely be Genin next week, Mina-kun and I decided that learning a weapon might be that kind of edge!" Kushina herself is masterful with a katana, though she's since retired from being a kunoichi.

Mito couldn't hide the sparkle in her eyes at the prospect of a new weapon. It helped a ninja distinguish themselves among their peers and some even got their names because of their weapons. Like the Seven Swordsman of the Mist.

The pale blonde stumbled after her adoptive sibling and mother, hopping on one foot in order to get her other sandal on. "Wait up!"

Higurashi's Weapon Shop was a place owned by a retired weapon master and catered to most shinobi and kunoichi needs. It even had a few rare weapons that couldn't be easily found in Hi no Kuni, thanks to the owner's connections.

Mito looked around in awe. The walls were lined with glittering swords, sickles, katanas and tantos. Shelves were covered in kunai and shuriken of different shapes and sizes and weights, different materials for different uses. There were even assortments of specialized ninja tools for sale, such as smoke pellets and timed explosive tags.

The wall behind the counter held the more exotc weapns. Large blades, O-katanas, and weapons that generally weren't suited for normal ninja use. Then she saw it. Directly overhead, as if the centerpiece of an arms exhibit, was a massive sword.

The handle was wrapped in brown-red leather and was topped with a golden spike pommel. The guard was gold and flared out in a menacing, curved fashion. The blade didn't immediately start at the hilt, instead tapering out to its thickest point before slowly shrinking back into a sharp diamond tip.

The beautiful steel was unmarred by any knicks or scratch or signs of age, with the only 'blemish' being a red cross-like shape emblazoned near the hilt, along the center spine. The shorter horizontal line's ends tilted up towards the guard.

"Didja find something ya want? Ya've been starin' for a good ten minutes." A gruff voice broke Mito out of her daydream.

The man behind the counter was aging, but he couldn't be called old. His brown hair had flecks of grey in it and he had some short stubble growing in. His eyes were sharp and the color of warm chocolate. The green apron he wore was dirty and covered in a silvery dust.

Mito simply pointed up. "That one-"

"Not a chance, kid." The gruff man took a pause. "That ain't for sale. 'specially not to a pipsqueak."

Mito bristled. She wasn't a pipsqueak! She was a proud five feet and five inches tall! "Oh come on! I have to have it!"

A rude snort pushed some hot air into her face, making the girl grimace. "Because it's special t'me. It's the first weapon I ever came across after I retired, and it's the thing that convinced me t'make this shop with the family. Found it all the way up in Kaminari no Kuni."

Mito growled under her breath. She couldn't explain it, but the sword was calling to her. She felt like some part of her being recognized the symbol on the weapon and she just had to have it. "I can't explain it, but it feels like that sword is calling to me. Please, you have to let me have it!"

The owner raised a brow and clicked his tongue. "Gakis like you always say that the weapon they want is 'calling them'. Really, they're just spoiled and lookin' for special treatment. Well, no chance!" He hadn't sold anything off the back wall for a long time, and he wouldn't start now.

Higurashi took the time to get a good look at the kid. Round cheeks, whisker marks. Pale blonde hair. Silver... eyes... Something clicked and the man muttered softly to himself. "But, maybe we can strike a deal of sorts. It's important to me, but I might just be willin' to part with it."

Mito's sparkling silver gaze somewhat assured the man of his decision.

"Come back here tomorrow at the crack of dawn. If you can pass a test of mine, I'd be willing to part with such a precious item." A kid like her, even one that's close to becoming a kunoichi, wouldn't be able to pass.

Giving the man a firm nod, a look filled with absolute determination, the kunoichi-to-be bounded back to her mother and brother who were currently inspecting some beautifully crafted katanas.

Higurashi looked back at the claymore that hung as the centerpiece of his shop for a decade. Its edge looked just as sharp as the day he found it, and was the only thing in the shop he wouldn't let anybody else touch. And now he was going to gamble with it. A sword that large was no use in the hands of a child.

He watched the trio leave the store, Kushina offering a friendly farewell wave on their way out.

* * *

The next day, Mito had woken up extra early. She hadn't even eaten breakfast before she left the house. Whatever test the old weapon store owner had for her would be tough, but Mito would persevere. When she told her family about it, Naruto decided he'd put off getting anything until she had her's. Kushina was skeptical of her daughter's want for a big sword, as was Minato, but they wouldn't deny her.

After all, large swords weren't terribly uncommon in more western territories.

And so here she was, gently knocking on the glass door in the front. The weapon store also functioned as the Higurashi family's house, which was just above on the second floor. After about ten minutes of waiting, the owner opened the door, looking as tired as expected for it being so early.

"Yer peppy this mornin' ain'tcha?" Higurashi just shook his head and let the girl in, closing and locking the door behind her. "Follow me, kid."

Mito looked up to where the claymore had been before, only to find said blade missing. A few turns through the back of the shop found Mito and the older man in the backyard with the sun just barely rising above the treeline. There, stabbed into the ground, was her sword.

And behind it, a metric ton of uncut wood logs.

The pale blonde swallowed the lump in her throat. Her hands felt sweaty and her clothing seemed tighter than normal.

"Don't be gettin' cold feet now. You were the one that wanted this. Cut it all with that sword and don't you dare let go of it until every single piece has been cut." With that, the man left her alone and went back inside for a quick nap before it was actually time to open the store.

Mito cracked her knuckles and let out the deep breath she didn't know she was holding in. "Alright Mito, you can do this..." The blonde slapped her palms to her face before stepping up to the sword. Her fingers curled around the handle and hefted the blade from the ground.

It was heavy. Much heavier than a kunai. And it was almost as big as she was.

She could do this. Taking one of the logs and setting it on a stump, she raised the sword high above her head and swung it down. The blade easily cleaved the log in half, nearly throwing the academy student off balance.

She could do this.

The sun was high in the air hours later and the village was bustling to life. It was about time the weapon shop opened too, and she'd barely made any headway into the massive pile of logs. The cut ones were neatly piled on the other side against a tall fence. Not once did she let the sword go, even though it added extra difficulty to her task.

"Tou-san, isn't this a little cruel? She's not even out of the academy yet, and she's the Yondaime's-"

A grunt broke the concerned words. "She wanted this. She could'a gone back to her family at any time, and yet she's still here." Higurashi made certain to talk to the Yondaime about this, and the man even wagered that his daughter would pass the test.

"You know, she kinda looks like-"

"From the stories, yeah. The same hair an' eyes, as described. Gave me a bit of a spook when I saw. I even went back to check the book after they left." The man's gaze was softening as he watched the petite teen hold such a large weapon over head.

She was tired. She was tired and thirsty, but she couldn't stop. The fire in her body, in her limbs, wouldn't let her. Maybe this is what they called pride? She was going to pass even if her hands fell off.

The backdoor opened, making the blonde teen peek over. Her face was drenched in sweat and her hair was matted flat. Her hands were red and irritated from the grip she held on the weapon. "Hey, you're Mito, right? Keep it up, I'm rootin' for you." The girl had brown hair tied into two buns on either side of her head and wore an eastern-styled dress with an ornate dragon pattern along the side.

She set a few bottles of water down nearby. "I'm Tenten. Let's talk sometime, when you're done." And she walked away, leaving the blonde to her task. Mito guzzled down one of the water bottles in a single go and went back to her task with somewhat renewed energy.

Thwak! Thwak! Thwak!

Thwak!... Thwak!... Thwak!...

The sun had gone down.

She could barely hold onto her sword anymore, but she couldn't let go. If she did, she failed and this was all for nothing. Mito fell to her knees in the cold grass. The girl's arms felt like lead, unwilling to move at all. Fingers felt like one big blister from holding onto the handle this long, but the blade itself was no worse for wear.

Mito felt dizzy. The silver-eyed girl was starting to tilt to the side as her vision blurred into twos and threes. It was over. She couldn't do it anymore.

She growled and stabbed the claymore into the ground, slowly pushing herself up with it as leverage. No, she wouldn't lose here! After spending an entire day with the sword in hand, she couldn't imagine wielding anything else.

A fire spread through her arms and the leaden feeling was no longer there. Rather, she grew the strength to lift her lead limbs. Her vision cleared and she grit her teeth together. The feeling was almost euphoric as the pain was numbed; the kunoichi in training moved even faster than when she started.

The next morning was eerily silent for the Higurashi household. The constant sound of wood splitting in two had become normal for the last fourteen or so hours that they'd seen the teen working. Tenten could even hear it snapping in her dreams.

The owner of the store yawned and walked out onto the stone walkway that lead to his backyard. "Alright kid, I'm gonna guess by the silence that-" The mug of coffee slipped from his hand and shattered, leaving the man with shaking fingers.

The scene was almost serene. Light flitted in through the trees to gleam off the girl's pale blonde hair. Her eyes were shut in the peaceful embrace of sleep with her back propped up against the wood cutting stump. Still clenched in her hands was the claymore, gleaming in the light.

And behind the academy student was hundreds of chopped logs. They weren't perfect, but they were chopped down to the right size. "I'll be damned." Higurashi stepped over the broken and spilled coffee to gingerly pick up the teen. Even in her sleep, she refused to let the sword go.

* * *

Groggily, Mito began to wake. Even in her half asleep state, she could feel the soreness burning in her fingers and legs and arms. She pulled herself from her bed and nearly fell on her face in the process. "Fuck..." She spit out and climbed up to her feet with the help of her wall.

Her legs quivered with each step as she made her way towards the bedroom door. Voices could be heard down below, so her family was still awake it seemed. Carefully taking each step, she descended into the living room.

"...and when you get skilled enough, you can do things like this!" There was a click, followed by the whining song of metal sliding across metal, then another click.

Naruto's excitable yelling could wake the dead and only seemed to aggravate poor Mito's headache. "Kaa-chan that's awesome! You have to show me how to do that, 'ttebayo!"

The pale blonde could practically hear the smug on her adoptive mother's face. "In time, little shinobi." She did her best to imitate the voice of a wise old teacher.

"Oh Mito, you have to see what Kaa-chan can do!" Naruto bounded over to her, grabbing the girl's arm and and spinning her around.

She hissed and gave him a soft push before slinking over to the kitchen counter to take a seat, her stomach growling loud enough to be heard from across the room. "Calm down, jeez!" The teen huffed and held her up sore hands together.

"Leave your sister alone for a bit. She just woke up 'ttebane." Kushina wrapped her arms gently around the pale blonde. "It was reckless to do what you did, but I'm so proud of you my little musume."

Minato was at the Hokage's office dealing with his dreaded paperwork, so he wouldn't be back for some time. Still, Kushina couldn't be more excited to hand her daughter the product of her hard work.

Wrapped in a bright red bow, Kushina brought out the very claymore that caused Mito's hands such pain. "You were out for a whole day, but I think it was worth it. It's a beautiful weapon, dattebane!" Despite the size, it was almost elegant in craftsmanship. And attached was a note from the previous owner.

'I can't believe you managed it, kid. When I saw the pile of chopped wood sitting there, I knew it was time to pass this beauty on. Congrats, Mito, you earned it.'

Mito could cry. In fact, her eyes were already tearing up before she even read it.

"Higurashi-san even fitted a special sheath just for you. Drawing a blade like this is pretty hard, so it's magnetic for ease of use!" Kushina's smile could warm even the coldest of hearts. In her hands was a leather belt-like apparatus that was clearly meant to be worn over the shoulder. It only took a few minutes to fit herself, and the claymore's size didn't make things easy, but when it was all set, Mito felt just right.

The pale-blonde breathed out and grinned from ear to ear. After what she just went through, the graduation test would be a piece of cake.

And the test couldn't come soon enough. Mito made sure she was early. She tried to wake her brother, but he simply turned over and tuned her out. Well, it wouldn't be her fault if he was late. Other than the silver-eyed girl was the Nara heir, Shikamaru, who was currently sound asleep, and Uchiha Sasuke.

Slowly but surely, the rest of their peers started to trickle in. Naruto was one of the first few, yawning and sporting a large red lump from the top of his head.

"I told you Kaa-chan was going to get you, Naru-nii." The sound of smug was prevalent in her voice.

Naruto slumped into the seat next to her, gingerly rubbing the knot on top of his head. "She didn't have to hit so hard." Mito let out a rude snort at that.

The academy began to quake as the sound of a stampede of wild animals rumbled through the halls.

"Outta my way forehead!"

"Get out of mine, pig!"

The door frame cracked as two bodies slammed into it at the same time, nearly getting stuck since they were pushing at each other. It was a pink haired girl and a girl with platinum blonde hair.

"Shove off Sakura, I got here first! I'm sitting next to Sasuke-kun!" The blonde, Yamanaka Ino, pushed at the pinkette's face.

"Fat chance Ino! My foot was one whole centimeter in front of yours!" Sakura pushed at the Yamanaka's sides. The two of them finally squeezed through the door and zipped over to their seats next to their unrequited love interest.

Naruto let out a sigh as he watched them, cheeks reddening just a bit as he focused more on Sakura. Mito jabbed her elbow into his side, cutting the blonde teen from whatever day dream he was about to fall into. "I seriously don't get what you see in her."

Naruto jabbed her back and stuck out his tongue, his eyes closing like a fox's. "Sakura-chan's really nice when she's not fawning over that Teme!"

Sasuke's and Naruto's relationship might seem rocky to anyone that didn't really know the two, but they were actually quite good friends. They'd never admit it aloud though. Well, Sasuke wouldn't.

The room was filled with the light chatter of nervous and confident academy students. Iruka and the other sensei, Mizuki, walked into the room with stacks of papers in hand. The silver-haired sensei always gave Mito weird vibes. Especially when she caught him staring a few times.

"Alright, listen up! You'll have the next hour to complete the written exam portion of your tests! Good luck to all of you. You may begin once you have a sheet." The senseis walked around the room putting a small stack of papers in front of each student. When Mizuki set Mito's down, the pale blonde felt a shiver pass down her spine.

The test itself was nothing special. It was basic questions to test their memory about the history of the village and the Elemental Nations, as well as their knowledge in the theory of chakra and the three basic academy techniques.

Mito breathed out as she set her pencil down. She was confident in her knowledge. Naruto on the other hand looked like he could be sick. He just wasn't a booksmart person.

Iruka clapped his hands and smiled. "Okay! I'm going to take the time to grade your tests, so please follow Mizuki-sensei out onto the practice field for your accuracy and Taijutsu tests." Said sensei tucked a clipboard under his arm and led the aspiring ninjas outside.

The practice grounds were an area of soft dirt with a circle of chalk drawn to indicate an arena. On the far side were some wooden and straw dummies with large targets drawn on the heads and chests.

"Line up, brats. First we'll do the accuracy portion of the exam. There are a total of ten points you can get. Five for Kunai, five for Shurken. You have to get at least six out of ten to pass this portion. Now step up one at a time and be quick about it!" A line formed off to the side in order of name, starting with Aburame Shino.

Each student took their turn to varying degrees of success. Obviously, the clan heirs were a cut above those that didn't come from a particularly notable name. Then it was Mito's turn. She picked her weapons from the assorted buckets and breathed deeply.

Her first kunai lodged itself in the direct center of her target's chest. Alright, good so far. the next went wide and only sliced the side of the trunk. Shit. She still had eight to go though. In the end, she managed an average score, passing at the very least. Despite her extra training at home, she still wasn't any better at throwing weapons. At least her brother wasn't much better.

Mito took a swig of water before the students all lined up according to name again, this time right outside the makeshift arena. "Alright now, we'll begin the Taijutsu portion of the exam. You'll all be sparring off against me using the academy taijutsu you've learned for exactly one minute. If you fall three times, you fail. And if you manage to make ME fall once, it's an automatic pass."

Of course, Mizuki would be holding back against them. Even still, he wasn't a Chuunin for nothing and shouldn't be taken lightly even by the most skilled students.

As before, the clan heirs ahead of her were a cut above. Some managed to only get downed once in the entire minute, and others weren't knocked down at all. And then, it was her turn.

Naruto gave his sister a pat on the shoulder, a nod, and a cheery thumbs-up. "You can do it. Mizuki-sensei's a chump!" Mito's nerves calmed just enough for her to flash him a confident smile.

The silver-haired sensei cracked his knuckles, then his neck before falling into his taijutsu stance and looking little worse for wear. "Don't blink brat, or you might fail faster than you realize what hit you." Mito settled into the basic academy stance.

Pain rushed through Mito's cheek and she hit the ground hard with a heavy thud. The pale blonde glared at her sensei who pretty clearly didn't hold back.

"I told you not to blink. Now get up."

Growling, Mito stood and raised her fists again. This time she dodged the attack out of pure instinct, jumping over the sweeping leg. A palm flashed out and collided with her chest, sending her sprawling along the ground. The kunoichi-prospect coughed and heaved a little after having the wind knocked out of her.

"Mizuki-sensei, that's not fair! You're not holding back at all!" Naruto hissed out. He could see the devilish look the silver-haired Chuunin was giving his sister as she picked herself up. Everyone could see it. Sasuke was even gritting his teeth together in anger.

"Of course I'm holding back," Mizuki scoffed and brushed away the accusations. "Mito-_chan_'s just not up to par with the rest of you." His voice was snake like and mocking.

As soon as she was steady on her feet, the sensei lashed out with a vicious straight punch meant to launch the girl out of the makeshift arena. Except, Mito wasn't in the path of his fist. Her arms wrapped around his and her legs locked up around his bicep, pinning the Chuunin's arm against her body.

"What the hell is this? It isn't in the academy style!" Mizuki drove his fist into the girl's exposed side, forcing another cough from her.

Mito started to arch her back, gradually bending his arm out and making the man grunt. "If you can go against your words, then so can I!" A fire rushed through her legs before she roared and arched her back, almost touching the ground now.

_**SNAP!**_

Mizuki screamed as the pale blonde vaulted off his body, using his chest as a springboard and sending him to the ground, his arm bent at an awkward angle. "You fucking BITC-"

Iruka chose that moment to appear while sporting a raised brow at the scene. Mito had a bit of blood dribbling down her chin and Mizuki had a broken arm. "Mizuki-sensei! Get to the hospital and get that looked at! I'll take care of the rest. And Mito, I'll have words with you later."

She looked a bit sheepish, but it served the bastard right for trying to fail her immediately. After his spar with Iruka, Naruto clapped her on the back and flashed her a grin. No words needed to be exchange and soon she was grinning back.

The next and final part of the test was Ninjutsu. Thankfully, Mito was excused from it. Rather, she took an automatic fail, but that didn't mean she failed the whole test. The silver-eyed girl found out a year after her incident that Jutsu that required so little chakra to perform were simply impossible for her. The results were strangely explosive for each one. And according to Tsunade-baa-chan, this would make learning higher level Jutsu even harder.

"Now I'm going to call your names and when you hear yours, step into the next room."

As before, students were called in order of their last name. After about ten minutes, they'd either walk out with a headband gleaming proudly on their foreheads or otherwise on their person, or they'd walk out in shame without one.

Mito entered the room and sighed out, since it was just Iruka. Even with Tsunade leading the hospital, a broken arm wouldn't be fixed in mere minutes. "So, Mito, care to explain why you broke Mizuki-sensei's arm?"

She was afraid of that. Either way, it might affect her graduation, so it was best to tell the truth. "I felt that Mizuki-sensei was trying to sabotage me. He gives me these weird looks all the time, and during the spar, he never moved that fast with anyone else." She took a deep breath and rubbed her right arm as she fidgeted a little. "I felt he deserved it. It was self defense."

Iruka merely smiled. "He was never supposed to injure you like that, only knock you down, so I think you were within your rights. I just wanted to hear your side of the story." The scarred man stood and picked up a headband to present to her. "Since you're excused from the Ninjutsu portion of the test, you pass. Barely. Thank your good written scores."

The new kunoichi launched herself against the man in a tight hug. "Iruka-sensei! Thank you so much!" The man chuckled and gave her a light pat on the head. "Make sure you're here tomorrow for team placements."

Mito walked herself out of the test room, tall and proud. She looked her brother straight in the eye and jabbed a thumb towards her headband. "Way to go, dattebayo!" His thumbs-up and grin were just as comforting as their mother's smile.

* * *

Mito sat in her room staring out the window. She just couldn't sleep. Dinner had been rather lively, with the Uchihas coming over again to celebrate Sasuke's and their's graduation. The young Uchiha sat at the top of the class with near perfect scores while Naruto was a few steps behind him and Sakura came in at second. Of the teens that passed, Mito was sitting at the bottom of the class. Ninjutsu really weighed her down.

She knew the theories, but if she couldn't put them into practice, her grade would never improve. And they don't teach higher ranked Jutsu to academy students except in the case of clan traditions.

The silver-eyed kunoichi felt her cheeks heating up as she remembered their arrival. Itachi gently pet the top of her head and told her a soft "Congratulations." The poor girl did a really good interpretation of a tomato.

Her fingers drifted idly through her hair, fidgeting a little with the ends. Those silver eyes drifted over to the large blade that stood propped up against her wall, the moonlight shimmering off its pristine edge. "Tomorrow, we're officially kunoichi of Konoha." The words were said breathlessly, as if she couldn't believe the time had come.

Mito moved to lie down, only for sudden movement in the distance to catch her eye. Something didn't feel right. The movement jumped along the rooftops a block or so away, heading towards the forest. It wasn't just a strange feeling she had, either. Whatever it was had an ominous feeling to it, like a tickle at the back of her mind.

In a flash, Mito had herself dressed in her kunoichi gear, sheath slung over her shoulder and claymore properly attached. "Sorry Tou-san, if I go to tell you, it might just be too late." She leaped from the window and bounced along the rooftops in pursuit. Whoever they were, they weren't ANBU.

It was deep in the forest heading towards the west gate that she paused on a branch to stare down at the scene below. Iruka and Mizuki were locked against each other, kunai against kunai.

"How could you, Mizuki?! How could you betray your village?!" Iruka grunted. He was slowly being overpowered. The strength that Mizuki was suddenly possessing surprised him.

"It's easy Iruka. Can't you see that the village is stagnating under the rule of that blonde bastard? He says he wants peace, yet he adopts a demon and allows her to live a life of luxury? Konoha will burn under his rule!" Mizuki lashed out with a kick, sending the brunette Chuunin against an abandoned shed.

Demon? She'd been called that once before, but no one dared mutter it to her in the last few years.

Mizuki shook his head slowly as he unclipped one of the massive shuriken on his back. "Can't you see? Konoha won't last another five years! So I'm going to offer the Scroll of Seals to the highest bidder and retire a king!" The silver-haired Chuunin started to spin the shuriken around until it whirred like a buzzsaw.

Mito unsheathed her sword and growled quietly. As soon as Mizuki reared his arm back, she sprung into action. "Die, Iruka!" The scarred man closed his eyes tightly as he heard the whirring. He was too tired to move out of the way in time.

_CLANG!_

The kunoichi's arms vibrated with strain as she nearly messed up her defense, but she succeeded in knocking the throwing weapon away. "Oh? If it ain't the demon whore, I'm surprised you found us. I'm gonna enjoy breaking all your limbs."

"Long time, no see Mizuki-sensei. How's your arm?" She smirked and the man grimaced, unhooking the second throwing star. "I heard everything. And as a kunoichi of Konoha, I place you under arrest for treason!" She pointed the large blade at the man.

He started to laugh hysterically. "You? The little demon bitch? Arrest me?! Fat chance, dumbass! I'm going to cut you down to size!" The whirring of the large shuriken grew louder. "But before that, why don't I tell you what you are?"

"Mizuki, stop!" Iruka grunted and stood on shaky legs.

"You remember the Kyuubi, right? That pitiful Yondaime couldn't kill the beast, so the Sandaime used some weird ass Jutsu to turn it into a baby and wipe it's memories. That baby was you!" Mizuki spat venom as he twisted and threw the whirling blade of death.

Mito froze. What'd he say? The Kyuubi? She remembered the disdainful glares that watched her as she walked down the street. The dismissive mutterings. The shops that closed down just before she could enter them. Piercing yellow eyes that brought her comfort and companionship, now being filled with cold cruelty.

Something rushed into her, tackling the newly minted Genin to the ground. The sound of metal piercing flesh hit her ears and she opened her eyes to see Iruka leaning over her.

The giant shuriken was sticking out of his back.

"You're... Not the demon he says you are. You're a bright girl with a bright future ahead, Mito..." Iruka coughed out a few globs of blood into the grass. Something in Mito snapped.

She tenderly pushed the now unconscious man off her and against the shed before grasping onto her claymore with both hands.

"How sweet. But all he did was turn your quick death into a painful, slow one." Mizuki launched himself st her, his fist connecting with the flat of the claymore. Mito reeled back, sliding across the dirt.

She twisted and attempted to bisect the silver-haired ex-sensei, only for the man to leap over her attack and deliver a swift kick to her back, sending her rolling along the ground. "Your first mistake was bringing along such a big weapon. Your second mistake was trying to fight me after I kicked your ass earlier."

The glint of steel was caught in the corner Mito's eye. "Now die!" Mizuki dove in with kunai.

Euphoric fire shot through every part of her body. Mito's vision became crystal clear as she watched the blade descend.

A flash of silver flew across the man's vision followed by a spray of red. "Ah? A...Ah! ArrgghhaAHHHH!" Mizuki screamed as he stared at his stump of an arm.

Mito's eyes glowed yellow and orange with her pupils turning into slits. Small veins bulged around her features. Her teeth were sharpened into points as she growled. "D-Demon! You really are a demon!"

Mizuki scrambled back, still screaming while his arm poured blood on the ground. "For crimes against Konoha-" Another flash of silver and Mizuki's other arm flew off into the forest.

"Fuck! Fuckfuck FUCK! YOU'LL BURN FOR THIS!" The man whimpered on the ground, still trying to crawl away before the blood loss took him to the dark realm of unconsciousness.

Sighing softly, the kunoichi let the fire inside her fade away. As soon as she saw the armless Mizuki still bleeding out, she promptly lost her lunch against the side of a tree.

A yellow flash appeared near the dying Chuunin's body. It was the Yondaime and an ANBU dressed in a weasel mask. "Drop the scroll and come quietly, or-" Minato paused. Mizuki was still wearing the scroll on his back, but only had stumps for arms and was currently in a pool of blood. Iruka was leaned up against a shed with a giant shuriken sticking out of his back, knocked out. And his daughter was currently losing her dinner on the forest floor, her claymore forgotten at the side with its edges covered in blood.

"Mito, what happened here?" His voice was stern, but not angry. It was the voice of the Hokage. She gave him a sick-looking stare before she righted herself and wiped her mouth.

"Tou-san- Err, Hokage-sama. I saw a figure jumping along the roof tops from my room and had a bad feeling about it. I made the decision to follow the figure without informing you first. I thought I wouldn't make it in time otherwise. Iruka-sensei was locked in combat with Mizuki. After he dispatched Iruka, we fought, and...-" Mito trailed off and covered her mouth, looking like she might hurl again.

Minato peered at his daughter for a while longer before wrapping her in a tight hug. "Let's go home." The weasel-masked ANBU hefted both of the Chuunin and carefully transported them to the hospital.


	3. It's Team Time

Hello! Sorry the third chapter took so long to come out, but I've been kind of on my own schedule of "do I feel like working on this today?", and if the answer is 'no', then well... Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Mito sat in class listening to Iruka give his congratulations. Everything was pushed back a full week thanks to his injury, to give the man much needed rest. Now that he was, they could get on with finding out who their teams were. All the new Genin had been on edge with barely contained excitement due to the wait. The pale blonde couldn't shake the feeling that something was a little off with the number of graduates.

"And without further ado, here are your team placements."

Team 6: ...

Team 7: Uchiha Sasuke, Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, Sakura Haruno.

Team 8: Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino.

Team 9: Still in rotation from the prior year.

Team 10: Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji.

Cheers of victory as well as groans of defeat filled the room while the pale-blonde furrowed her brow. Iruka called off a few more teams of people that Mito never bothered to learn the names of, but she never heard her's. She raised a hand, a confused look being obvious on her features.

The scarred Sensei scratched his head a little. "This is a little unconventional. Normally we put the worst passing student with the two highest scoring. Uh, Mito, Hokage-sama would like you to go to his office and see him." Iruka hadn't had many special cases in his years of teaching, but it seemed like the Hokage's daughter was stuck with the short end of the stick this time.

After shooting her brother a quick, concerned look, with him throwing a shrug back, she gathered her things and walked out of the classroom. Since they still technically had class, she neglected to bring her claymore.

Pushing the doors to the Hokage's office open, Mito saw her father talking to a tall woman in a tan trench coat. Her hair was purple and tied back into a spiky ponytail but kept her bangs framing her attractive features. Her eyes were a shade of brown which stood out under her blue hitai-ate.

Under the coat she wore a mesh body-suit and a burnt-orange skirt, but not much else other than standard issue shinobi sandals.

They both turned to look as she entered and took the nearest seat. Minato flashed her a smile. "Good, you're here. Let me introduce you to Mitarashi Anko. You're going to be her apprentice of sorts and work as a team of two to support the other teams. We don't normally do this, but there are special... circumstances that I believe make this the best route to take."

Anko gave a short nod before letting Minato continue. "I thought about it for a long time. Instead of making a non-regulation four-Genin squad, I decided it'd be easier to have a special squad of two that could help out other teams in need. This would make you, Mito-chan, a Tokubetsu Genin of sorts."

The Mitarashi was a Tokubetsu Jounin, so they would be like two peas in a pod. A specialist unit unique in their own. As Mito peered at her new Sensei, she couldn't quite shake this weird feeling that buzzed in the back of her skull. It was like the woman's presence was being constantly acknowledged by her brain.

"Take this day to get acquainted with each other. You'll be spending the next few years as a team together, after all." Minato flashed the two of them a pleasant smile and a small wave of dismissal before going back to the paperwork at hand.

A short 'Hai, Hokage-sama' came from the both of them before Sensei and Student walked out, keeping in stride with each other.

Mito frowned a little at the silence that fell over the two of them as they walked, the pale-blonde falling just behind. Ten minutes of silence went buy until the two of them walked into a dango shop and grabbed a table.

"So gaki, you're Hokage-sama's adopted daughter, huh?" She didn't look like much. Average height, almost frail-looking with a sort of cherub-cuteness to her. The only odd parts were the silver eyes and light whisker marks.

Mito gave a little nod. "Hai. It's nice to meet you." That tingle, that itch she felt, remained. In fact, it only grew stronger when the two were sitting right in front of each other and walking together.

A waiter came over and dropped two plates of dango in front of them as well as two cups of tea.

Green tea.

Strange, she didn't remember ordering.

Mito pushed the cup away and took a bite of her dango. Anko's stare was piercing. The young blonde was doing her best to ignore it, even going so far as to tilt her head away and look at the few other residents of the small shop. The buzzing in her skull was ever persistent. She caught a few glances looking over their way, whispering.

The Genin was starting to sweat. Had Anko even blinked yet? How many minutes had gone by? Why was it so hot all of a sudden?

"Are ya gonna drink your tea or what?" Her Sensei's voice cut through the air like a knife, startling the blonde.

The Namikaze daughter frowned. "I'm really... not a fan of green tea." She coughed into her hand to cover up the slight quiver in her voice. Even after all these years, she hadn't gotten over it. Every time she looked into that specific drink, she could see piercing yellow snake eyes. Cold, cruel. An abyss that relished in the feeling of staring back.

"Drink it already. Or are ya gonna make your Sensei regret treatin' you, gaki?" Anko took the tea in hand and brought it to her lips for a long sip, eyes thoroughly trained on Mito. Said Genin looked down to her tea with disdain, a shaking hand tenderly grasping at the cup. The higher she raised it, the clearer the image of snake-like yellow eyes became, and the worse her trembling got.

By the time it was close to her face, Mito was splashing tea all over the table.

"If yer gonna let leaf water scare you for the rest of yer life, ya might as well just quit being a ninja."

Mito froze and her eyes dimmed. Her Sensei put the cup down and continued to stare, unabated.

What did she know? Nothing, that's what! Her Sensei didn't know what it's like to be haunted by the mere image of someone. A little voice constantly speaking calming words into your ears as they drove the knife deeper. The feeling of his eyes staring at her from every surface, like he knew exactly what she was doing at all times. She was close to hyperventilating.

Was her Sensei right? Should she just quit before something happens? What if an enemy found out about her weakness and used it against her? Could she handle being known as the daughter of the Yondaime Hokage, the one who brought shame to her family because she was struck down by _Green Tea_ of all things?

Mito downed the drink in an instant and slammed the cup back down, rattling the table while gasping for air. Her heart pounded heavily in her ears while blood rushed to her face. A few other patrons of the little shop glanced over, but she paid them no mind.

The purple-haired woman smiled softly. "Y'know, they say the path to recovery is acceptance, then facing the problem. Or somethin' like that." She flashed a grin. "Alright! Now that that's out of the way, I'm Mitarashi Anko! I like dango, Nai-chan, and my snakes. I hate that snake fucker and anybody that betrays the trust of others. Your turn."

She'd been played.

Mito had to let herself calm down for a moment before her thoughts returned to normal. She matched her Sensei's grin with her own. "I'm Namikaze-Uzumaki Mito. I like my family, my sword, and sitting up in high places. I dislike that snake fucker and anybody that betrays the trust of others." She gave the woman a peace-sign and playfully stuck her tongue out.

"Hah! Cheeky gaki. Since introductions are out of the way, how about I let you in on who I am in more detail, since we'll be spending a lot of time together?" Now, Jounin normally had some kind of test based on teamwork to find faults with their students and make sure they CAN work together. But they didn't really need that.

"I was Orochi-fucker's apprentice before he defected," Anko started. "He left on a mission beforehand and took me with him. The bastard branded me with some fucked up Fuuin-Jutsu and left me for dead."

The silver-eyed Genin swallowed the thick lump in her throat. This was who Orochimaru talked about? Mito felt her chest warm up in some kind of cruel solidarity that she wasn't alone while a cold feeling settled over her shoulders at her previous line of thoughts. This person understood her.

Anko scratched the back of her head. This was an uncomfortable topic for the both of them, but it had to be talked about if they were going to forge a close bond. "Hokage-sama told me some of what happened to you, but I won't pry too much. You'll tell me the rest when you're ready."

The woman hadn't touched her dango before, but in the next instant it was gone and she was standing in a stretch. "How about you take the rest of the night off and meet me at Training Ground 44 tomorrow morning, eh? Make sure ya eat a good breakfast too."

Mito tried to follow her lead by wolfing down her dango and nearly choked, getting a laugh from her Sensei. "Hai! I can't wait to work with you, Anko-sensei!" The smaller teen gave a grinning thumbs-up before the two parted ways.

* * *

When the blonde got home, she spotted her brother sulking on the couch and Kushina trying not to let her snickering be heard as she made dinner. "What's up with you?"

Naruto threw up his arms and groaned. "My Sensei thinks he's soooo cool, but he didn't actually tell us anything about himself!" Of course they'd met Hatake Kakashi before, but he rarely spoke to them aside from one or few times. Mostly because he was too busy with missions.

After slipping her sandals off, Mito plopped down next to him. "Well, Anko-Sensei's awesome! We had some dango and had a nice chat!" She stuck her tongue out, which was only mimicked by Naruto's sulkier one. The day passed without much fanfare, though neither Genin could stop the excitement building as the next day drew closer.

As she slipped into her bed, the silver-eyed kunoichi thought about the week gone by. Specifically, the day after the incident with Mizuki.

_Mito stepped down the stairs slowly. Her eyes felt heavy and her heart was sinking into her feet with each step. She hadn't slept a wink last night, only tossing and turning until the time when Kushina called her down._

_"Mito-chan, take a seat. I'm sure you have questions. But please save them until after we explain everything." Kushina didn't look much better. She must've been up worrying for just as long._

_Giving a stiff nod, Mito sank into a seat next to her brother, who just looked confused. Minato sat across from them, next to Kushina. "We were waiting until you were officially sorted into teams to tell you this, but it seems like we have to a bit early."_

_"Both of you have one half of the Kyuubi No Kitsune sealed inside of you. The Yang chakra was sealed into Naruto while the Yin was sealed into Mito. To be perfectly clear, you're not the tailed beasts, only their Jinchuriki. The scrolls that seal the sword, so to speak." There was no point in beating around the bush._

_The memories of the glares came flooding back to her. Now they seemed even worse than before. The disdain morphed into pure hatred and cruel sneers. It'd be one thing if she was actually the fox that lost their memories, but to not actually have anything to do with the fox and still receive the treatment she did?_

_Mito's fingers tightened against her knees. Kushina continued on where Minato left off, "Only an Uzumaki can actually hold the fox. Naruto-kun, being a half-Uzumaki, could hold it but it wouldn't be stable. To compensate, we had to seal only half of the fox inside of him. For Mito-chan, it's a bit more complicated."_

_Uzumaki's were chosen for their longevity and powerful life force. A vastly more complicated matrix had to be quickly crafted to seal the tailed beast's other half into a random orphan._

_The idea was to let Naruto gradually meet the beast and hopefully gain some sort of camaraderie with it as only an Uzumaki can. However, Mito's seal was much more developed and made to completely block off all contact from the beast. It wasn't even designed to siphon the beast's chakra into her, just in case it might be able to manipulate the child through that small of a link._

_She wasn't taking it well. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her breaths were shallow. Her hair shadowed her eyes and her nails dug into her palms._

_"Well, if we're not the Kyuubi, then it's alright, right?" Naruto sounded strangely optimistic. "That just means we're secretly the most important people in the village, 'ttebayo! Isn't this pretty great, Mito-chan?" He paused as he noticed the trembling in her shoulders, her teeth gritting together. they were sharp and pointed._

_Euphoric fire was slowly spreading itself through her body as her anger grew. "...You knew."_

_They knew. And they did nothing. They did nothing to help her._

_A poor, orphaned child, living on her own._

_Not until their hand was forced._

_Not until it was too late._

_"You KNEW?!" She shouted, abruptly standing, tears swimming in the corners of her slitted yellow-orange eyes. Kushina flinched. Those eyes reminded her so much of herself. Except the Kyuubi's influence always made them red._

_"How... Why did... If you knew, why did you do nothing?! HOW could you do nothing?!" The tears were streaming down her face now. "You're the fucking HOKAGE! My life could've been just as fine as Naruto's but it wasn't! And only finding out WHY now..."_

_Minato flinched this time while Naruto looked on confused and hurt. He'd never seen his sister so angry at their parents. "Mito-chan, please calm down-"_

_She shrugged Naruto's hand off her arm. Her palms were starting to trickle with blood. "THIS," She tugged at her pale blonde hair and pointed to her eyes. "Is all YOUR fault!" She swiped her hand to the side, angrily glaring at her father before she stormed off faster than they could stop her._

_The Yondaime had nothing to say._

_As soon as the door slammed shut, the kunoichi was bounding off into the village, taking to the rooftops. There was only one place in the village where she wouldn't be bothered. The top of the Hokage monument. It was a 'secret' place she shared with her brother, but if he had any brains, he wouldn't come looking for her yet._

_Fire still spread through her veins as she wrapped her arms around her knees. She sat on the Shodaime's head, since the Sandaime's and Yondaime's were now off limits in her mind. It was strange, in a way. Three out of four of the Hokage had something to do with the Kyuubi. The Shodaime, like the Yondaime, had even married previous carrier before Kushina. A woman that shared her name._

_It'd been a while. A while of softly crying into her knees before she heard soft footfalls on top of the monument next to her. The fire inside her body since died down to a small flicker._

_"Naruto-kun told me you'd be here." A voice she recognized flitted through her ears. It was soft and calming and safe and she definitely DID NOT want him to see her like this._

_"Go away..."_

_Itachi said nothing, instead sitting next to her. A stiff silence rang through the air for an eternity. "I-" His fingers curled loosely around the arm that swung at him._

_"I said go away!" Fire sprang through her arm in an attempt to swat the older teen out of existence, but Itachi still had the upper hand with ease. Her shoulders shook as angry tears threatened to fall harder. "...Did you know?"_

_"I did."_

_Mito grit her teeth. Just another person to mock her existence. Another person that could have saved her. She couldn't believe he was her crus-_

_"It's not Hokage-sama's fault. No one could have predicted what happened. You're within every right to blame him. I did too, but it's not his fault. That lies solely on Orochimaru. The reasons your life has been as hard as it is."_

_She paused, her eyes widening. "But the villagers-"_

_"They're not entirely free of blame either." Itachi released her arm and looped his around her shoulders. "A lot of people died when the Kyuubi was released. A lot of innocent people. Almost everyone in the village lost a family member to the attack. And if they didn't, they all personally know someone that did."_

_The blonde was starting to calm down as his rational words floated around her mind. She knew it was devastating. The Kyuubi attack wiped out a good fourth of their forces and an entire district of the village. "So I'm just the scapegoat."_

_Itachi pulled her in close. She needed this kind of comfort right now. "If Hokage-sama hadn't stepped in, things might have gotten a lot worse than just harsh stares. But he's only one man, and can only do so much with his power." He couldn't very well assassinate everybody that wished her ill will, even if he wished he could. "No one could foresee that you'd be targeted by Orochimaru. But you weren't the only one either. You just had the misfortune of surviving his cruelty." Misfortune. That summed up her life for a good portion of it._

_Running her fingers through her blonde locks, Mito sighed in defeat and wiped some of the tears from her face. "What do I do? I... I can't forgive them that easily. I just can't."_

_"Then don't." The words were a bit shocking. "You don't have to forgive them. You don't have to forgive anybody. But you should at least apologize. Hating your family will only bring you future heartbreak. At least clear the air a little." Especially her brother. He was the only truly innocent one here._

_"Itachi-kun?" He released her and rose a questioning brow. She rarely used honorifics, and only when she wanted something from him. Her arms wrapped tightly around his torso before the blonde buried her head into his chest. "I forgive you." Her face was on fire. He could likely feel the heat, but if he could, he didn't say anything._

_He was hesitant, but she felt his arms wrap gently around her shoulders. "Thank you, Mito-chan."_

Mito sighed. Not her proudest moment, but they didn't blame her. After pouring her heart out, they went back to her house and she had a proper talk with her family.

Her eyes closed and the Genin drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The young kunoichi walked onto Training Ground 44. Thankfully, the Yondaime pointed her in the right direction. The only new addition to her outfit was the claymore nestled against its sheath on her back.

It was far, far larger than any of the other training grounds with a fenced in area containing a massively dense forest of tall and thick trees, with a dozen or so gates located around the perimeter.

"Oi, gaki! Ain't that sword a little to big for you?" Anko dropped down in front of the first gate, arms crossed behind her head.

Mito grinned and swiped her thumb under her nose. "No way! This baby's as light as a feather to me!" She wasn't entirely lying, but it'd be a long time before it was that light to her.

Her Sensei crossed her arms over her chest and matched that grin. "Good, because you're gonna get a lot of use out of it today. In order to train you, I gotta know where your skills lie. So come at me with the intent to kill, or you're not gonna get anywhere."

The intent to kill? Mito drew her claymore and gave it a good swing. "You're gonna regret that, Sensei!"

What happened?

Everything went by so fast. In one moment, she was swinging her sword at Anko's head. The next moment, she was hogtied and her claymore was stabbed into the ground three feet in front of her.

"What the hell?! Let me go, dammit!" Anko cackled and tapped the bound Genin's side with a foot. "Come on, you can escape a little knot like that, right? It's not even tight!"

Mito growled and flexed her arms against the ropes tying her wrists together. "Bullshit!" The familiar euphoria filled her arms and she flexed again, straining at the ropes. As soon as she ripped her bonds away, she bolted for her claymore, only for a leg to sweep her feet and send her sliding into the flat of it.

Anko clicked her tongue. "Hokage-sama told me about your little strength increases too. Kinda impressive, but if you don't have the skill, it won't get you squat." She let Mito pick herself up and draw her sword again.

Lunging towards the Jounin, Mito stabbed her blade forward to impale the woman. Anko spun and kicked the flat of the blade to the side, throwing Mito's whole center of balance off. A swift kick to the stomach sent the blonde sprawling. "Y'might want to re-think that sword of yours, gaki."

To the Genin's credit, she was quick to recover. The blonde dashed in low with the blade held to the side for a horizontal slash. Instead, she twisted it and swung it upwards in an attempt to bisect her Sensei. Anko stepped side and brandished a kunai from her sleeve, lashing out at a moderate pace towards her student's head. Mito curled her arms back and blocked the smaller blade with her own, grunting a little as she was hard pressed to push back against her Sensei's strength.

Mito managed to hop back to dodge a kick, though she was skeptical of Anko's grin. Flying through a few hand seals, the purple-haired kunoichi threw her arm forward and the sleeve exploded with a few large snakes. "**Sen'ei Jashu!**" They flew forward, startling Mito with their sudden appearance and wrapping around her lithe body until she wasn't able to move.

The purple-haired Sensei squatted near the struggling Genin. "So Gaki, what've we learned?" Mito growled in frustration before huffing and calming down.

"To, uh... Maybe try to play it more carefully when fighting someone stronger than me?" She flashed a sheepish smile. It was hard to learn from a fight when you got your ass so handily kicked.

Anko shook her head a bit and clicked her tongue. "Well that's something. If you're fighting with a person that out powers you, don't be afraid to resort to dirty tricks. There's nothing unfair when you're fighting for your life." She let her snakes loosen and vanish from around the teen. "I didn't see you use even a basic Bunshin."

The girl sighed and brushed her fingers through her pale blonde locks. "Well, most Ninjutsu is supposed to be beyond me because of my chakra. Especially the basic stuff."

Her Sensei planted a hand on the younger kunoichi's head and gently ruffled her hair. "Well how about the Kage Bunshin? It requires an unreal amount of chakra. In fact, how about we let that be the first thing I teach you?"

Mito's eyes glittered at the thought. If she could learn something like that, the ass-kicking she got would be so worth it.

The woman stretched her arms above her head until she heard a satisfying pop. "Alright, let's got get somethin' to eat. I'm starved!" Laughing a bit, Mito's stomach growled right on time and only made the two chuckle more. Mito rushed off ahead while Anko fell behind as she pondered a thought. Chakra, huh? She didn't sense any when the blonde broke out of her ropes.

At the dango shop, they got the same as before. This would likely be a usual until Mito could totally get over the sudden panic-inducing reaction that the tea gave her. "So Anko-sensei, what exactly do you specialize in?"

Anko took a moment to swallow her bite of dango before picking at her teeth with the stick. "Well, to start off, I'm not actually a full Jounin. I'm a Tokubetsu Jounin. It's one that, while not an all-rounder like the others, specializes in something mostly unique to them and skilled enough in it and most other factors to be considered a Jounin. I specialize in tracking and infiltration as well as torture and interrogation."

A shiver passed down the silver-eyed girl's spine as she saw her Sensei's grin at that. "I think it's a little weird that that Tou-san would put me under your care. None of those are exactly my strong suits." A dango stick impacted her forehead, causing a little flinch.

"Likely it's because he thinks we can help each other." Anko rested her cheek against her palm. "So we should do our best, yeah?" The two gave matching toothy grins. "Tomorrow we're gonna take on a few missions."

Poor Mito would experience the awful nature of D-ranks. Alone.

* * *

Sorry, but this chapter is a bit shorter than the few previous, but I thought it'd be a fairly decent place to leave off as I prepare to go into the first major arc of the story. It's the one everyone knows about, but it's so dang important to the story that it's hard to even think about doing something different with it.


	4. First Missions: Let's Go to Wave!

She was screaming. Mentally and verbally.

This was supposed to be cake. This was supposed to be super easy!

This was supposed to be for a three-Genin team.

Mito dug her heels in and used all her strength to pull back on the two dozen various leashes she held. The girl was still being dragged around the village like a ragdoll; through garbage cans, over dumpsters, and into a house or two. "Dammit! Slow down already! GAH! We missed our turn!"

Over a few days, she'd gotten a nice handful of D-ranks under her belt, but they were all chores! Every. Single. One of them.

Chores that villagers didn't want to do and had the pocket change to pay someone else. Or in this case, didn't have time to do them. The Inuzuka clan was on the list of normal D-rank enlisters, mostly for either washing or walking their many dogs. However, none of the other village Genin had been to them yet, and Mito was brave enough to take on the challenge alone.

Oh how wrong she was.

She slammed into the side of a building as the canines took off into a sprint again, flinging the blonde into the air like a Genin kite. Anko was cackling away in her ear-piece like a mad woman, refusing to help her as it was a "training and bonding exercise".

Mito managed to catch herself and briefly run along the side of another building and hop over a stray cart that crossed her path. Her only saving grace was that the dogs were all running together. If they tried to split up, well... She didn't want to think about it.

Pumping fire into her legs and arms, she dug her heels in again once she landed and pulled back on the leashes. "HEEL!" The young kunoichi was dragged along for another dozen meters, digging up a trench through the ground.

The group of assorted canines finally came to a halt as she was allowed to catch her breath.

"Phew... Alright. Now lets slowly and CALMLY walk back to the compound, okay?" Mito waited a moment, silver eyes gazing over each of the fluffy balls of excitement. "Okay."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she was yanked off her feet again and into the air as all two dozen dogs took off at once. "Dammit, WHY!?"

At least they understood her though, as minutes later, she and the dogs returned to the Inuzuka compound where the Matriarch, Tsume, was waiting for them. Mito was covered head to toe in dirt, but looked little worse for wear.

"Ha! Nice job comin' back in one piece, gaki! And the pups look happy too! Now why don't you show Mito-chan her thanks?" The Genin stood up straight and popped her back, only to be piled on by many fluffy beasts, producing a lot more cracks from the young teen.

Lucky for her, she was rescued before she could suffocate. At least her Sensei was useful for something.

Tsume waved the two off with a fanged grin. "Payment'll be sent to Hokage-sama. And I'll throw in a little extra for all your hard work!"

On the way back to the Hokage tower, Mito kept shooting Anko a nasty glare, followed by the woman snickering at her expense. She was going to smell like dog for a whole week.

Pushing the doors to the Mission Room open, they were greeted to some familiar, obnoxious yelling.

"Don't think you can just demand higher rank missions from Hokage-sama! You're barely even Genin!" Iruka was shouting from his seat next to Minato while the blonde man was just smiling at the team in front of him.

The team in question was Team 8, and the one begging, nearly on his hands and knees, was Inuzuka Kiba. All three of them were covered in scratches and small lacerations that seemed relatively new. Weird. Who would've thought that there was a D-rank so injury-prone?

"Please? We can't go through that again! That feline is a monster sent from Hell! If we can survive that, then we can do a C-rank easy, right? Maybe even a B-rank!" His team seemed in agreement, albeit much quieter and in their own way. Their Sensei, Kurenai, simply shook her head in disapproval.

"Absolutely not!" Iruka was adamant. No green Genin should be allowed to take anything outside the village. At least not in the first month!

Anko bounded over after spotting the other Jounin and was quick to wrap her arms around the brunette in a surprise hug. "Nai-chan!~" Mito blinked. Her Sensei mentioned a best friend once or twice in conversation, but she never mentioned anything about her being a fellow Jounin.

"Mito-chan, I assume your mission went well?" The younger blonde glowered for just a second before beaming a smile and giving a thumbs-up

"It was just fine! Went off without a hitch!" She ignored the throbbing in her side from being thrown around like a toy earlier.

Kiba growled at being ignored for the time being with Iruka sifting through a few documents on the desk and his Sensei chatting it up with another Jounin he's never seen before. He glanced to the side and eyed the solo Genin. He'd seen her in class, but she never really stood out aside from being the Hokage's adopted daughter. Even then, she was ranked last in the class. And her scent was pretty off-putting. But that sword was new. Who even let a Genin carry around something that big? He'd have to see if he could get one, then maybe Hinata would-

"...about a C-rank?" Anko's voice cut through his thoughts.

Minato coughed into a fist. "Ah yes. Well, Team 8 thinks they're ready for a higher ranked mission so soon. I'd normally deny them, but I might be able to make an exception if Anko's team tags along. I'll leave the final decision to the Sensei. Do you think your students are strong enough?" They weren't experienced, but the Senseis were there to make up for that.

Teacher and Student each looked to each other, hopeful eyes peering into thoughtful ones.

"You don't have to worry. She might be a novice, but Mito-chan's been showing a lot of promise with that sword of her's. Any thug'd go running home at the sight of it. And she's close to getting the hang of Kage Bunshin too." Anko grinned. The girl was his daughter after all. He'd need his fears assuaged.

The pale blonde felt heat rushing to her face as she shifted nervously.

"And Team 8 shows a lot of promise as well. They work naturally as a team and their tracking skills are superb for Genin." But that's almost to be suspected. All three of them have Kekkei Genkai totally suited to the task. Kurenai looked a little proud.

Kurenai's team glowed at the praise.

Kage Bunshin, huh? Minato thought about teaching her the Jutsu, but she was still an academy student at the time. "Then I'll get right to it. This morning, we received a request from a broken down caravan about half a day's travel down the road. They've been assaulted by small raiding parties, but have managed to hold their ground until now. The caravan's defenses are wearing thin and frankly they won't last much longer without any backup."

Anko crossed her arms. "So close to the village? What a bunch of brave bastards. But if they're so close, why don't you just have any returning ninja help them out?"

The Hokage nodded. "I would, but the first team to return from a mission aren't set to return for at least another full day. I'd rather not take any risks." The man pulled out a folder from his desk to get started on the paperwork. "That being said, pack supplies for a week. We don't know how long it'll take the repairs to finish."

All four Genin bowed and stood stock still until Minato smiled and waved a hand. "Dismissed." Brimming with excitement, some more contained than others, the four took off in blurs. Before Anko and Kurenai could leave though, the Hokage stopped them.

"I need to speak with you two for a moment." The friends shared a glance. "If you don't mind, Iruka, I'd like to do it alone."

The man stood from his chair, bowed, and left.

Minato's face grew stern. "This is specifically regarding you, Anko." Was she in trouble? "The traitor, Mizuki, was found bearing Orochimaru's seal. He had it covered up with parchment designed to blend into the skin."

Anko seethed and immediately shot a hand up to her seal which burned at the mere mention. Kurenai growled and clenched her fists together. "Mito was lucky. If she hadn't taken him by surprise, and their fight had lasted a minute longer..." The blonde male trailed off, not wanting to admit the worst possibility.

"That bastard! Permission to personally torture information out of him, Hokage-sama?" Her own seal was almost completely blocked off. She couldn't activate it and it couldn't influence her, but it still burned her skin when it was brought up.

Minato raised a placating hand. "When you return. I'll have Ibiki-san keep him warm for you. Until then, try to keep calm and make sure your students come back in one piece."

Kurenai grabbed onto her friend's arm and gave it a little tug. "Hai, Hokage-sama. They'll be fine with us." And the two left in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

The caravan they were searching for wasn't a large one, but the most important wagon in the group had broken down and they couldn't afford to just leave the payload. They had a few hired guards, but that was all they had to protect them.

It was a relatively quiet trip with the only sounds of chatter being between the two Sensei. They were leading the band of Genin with Team 8 following behind in a triangle formation and Mito bringing up the rear to complete a diamond. She felt an awkward tension in her chest as she thought about topics to bring up after realizing she didn't know a thing about her comrades.

Mito knew they were all clan heirs. She knew some basic personality traits, but that was about it. She also had an inkling about something regarding the Hyuuga.

"Hey Hinata-san," The blonde started, startling the dark-haired Hyuuga.

"Y-Yes, Mito-san?"

"You like Naruto-nii, right?" The pale-eyed girl sputtered and faltered, nearly missing the next branch in her their jump. Kiba howled with laughter as his ears picked up the casual conversation from his place at the front of their diamond.

Poor Hinata's face was glowing red, which only confirmed the blonde's suspicion. She'd caught the little peeks her teammate gave her brother, but he was always too busy watching pinky to notice.

Mito grinned. "Don't worry! I won't tell him, but you should! Before it gets too late, y'know?"

Hinata couldn't even form a reply as a nervous lump formed in her throat and her tongue twisted into a knot.

"Yeah, that knucklehead'd never realize even if you locked lips with him!" Kiba slowed down just enough to pitch in his two cents before a quick look from Kurenai had the boy speeding back up to position with his ninken, Akamaru, barking a response.

Their resident Inuzuka sniffed the air and growled a little. He could smell food and burnt wood, and also the scent of blood. "We're getting close. There's blood."

Despite her earlier fluster, Hinata was quick to snap out of it and focus her chakra. A quick muttering of '**Byakugan**' had veins bulging around her eyes as her Doujutsu activated. "I... I see the caravan ahead! It looks like they're being attacked!"

"Just in time." Anko grinned manically.

"Hinata, can you tell me anything about their equipment?" Kurenai spoke softly, so their voices wouldn't warn the attackers of their arrival.

The sun had just gone down, leaving the cover of dusk to protect the mostly unharmed raiders against the tiring caravan guard.

"They're equipped with s-spears, axes, and katanas." The Hyuuga focused for another moment. "And there's at least three shinobi with them!"

Kurenai clicked her tongue while Anko grimaced a little. No one said anything about enemy ninjas being part of the attacking force. This would be a good test for their brats.

"Team 8, surround the caravan and protect the contracts! And be careful!" They knew there were ninja among the enemy, but couldn't exactly tell how strong. Hinata was still pretty green with her Kekkei Genkai.

Anko split off to the left, heading towards where the stronger chakra signal could be felt. Kurenai went right towards the other.

"Hinata-san, we'll protect the closest side to us. Kiba-san, Mito-san, you go to the far end." This was the first time the pale blonde heard Shino speak to them, but found no reason to argue his judgement. The bugs that swarmed his body were already being sent out and spread among the enemy to weaken them.

Nodding, Kiba and Mito took off with Akamaru in tow. The caravan was definitely in bad shape. Goods were scattered all over the road from unsuccessful attempts at a hit-and-run. The members of the traveling band were mostly hidden away in the single carriage that accompanied the train of carts.

Where she was heading, there was a bandit with a spear pummeling a recently injured civilian with the blunt end. Around them were various states of injured people, but no casualties yet. The hired guards had done a good job to make sure of that, but they weren't lucky enough to hide away. The bandit grinned maliciously as he brandished the edge of his spear downward towards the older woman on the ground.

Mito couldn't hesitate. If she did, people could die. A nearby guard had seen the act, but he wasn't going to be fast enough, especially when there was already a raider moving to intercept him.

SCHINK!

The bandit looked down to the stumps where his hands just were, blood spurting out before he screamed in pain. Mito twisted and swung her claymore, removing the man's head seconds after. Her stomach churned, but she wouldn't let herself be sick now. Kiba wasn't looking much better as he plunged a kunai into the neck of another bandit.

Stabbing her blade into the ground, Mito flashed through a few handsigns before flaring her chakra. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" She'd managed a single clone, but that would be enough.

Standing back to back, the two were efficient in fending off whatever attacker tried to come close. Ragtag as they were, the bandits weren't quite equipped to deal with the blonde's superior reach and strength. Their blades easily slashed through the shafts of spears, so anyone brandishing those stayed far away. Not that it would help them with the rest of her team around.

"**Gatsuuga!**" Kiba roared as he spun into a drill-like state and tore through a few raiders in a single go, covering himself in their blood. He really wanted to be sick.

She'd gotten distracted for the briefest moments, but the clink of steel on steel brought her back to her senses. Her clone had stepped in to block a few shuriken that were flying straight for her head.

"So they called for a few Konoha brats to come help? Pity. When I kill you and string your mutilated body along the road for all to see, Konoha will only have themselves to blame for sending a young girl to her death." A deep, slimy voice made her shiver.

He was a stringy frog of a man with mismatched eyes and a long scar running diagonally along his face. A gleaming hitai-ate rested on his forehead with a slash running broadly through what used to be the symbol for Kusa, the Grass village.

His body was lithe and as slippery looking as he sounded with warts popping up along his face and arms. "I haven't had the pleasure of killing a girl so young. I can't wait to see the light leave those pretty silver eyes!"

Disgust ran down her spine. He was vile to the very core. The cruel look in his eyes was different to the ones she's seen before.

The nuke-nin was fast. Much faster than she thought he'd be. But he wasn't as fast as Anko. Mito brought her claymore up to block a kunai as her clone swept her sword out. The tag-team was short lived as a swift kick and a punch dispelled her clone. The pale-blonde jumped back to dodge a sweep and had to swing her claymore to bat away a small hail of shuriken.

Her slippery opponent sprinted with himself lowered close to the ground. Mito swung her blade out, only to have the man slip underneath and between her legs before lashing out with a kick against her back. "Hrk!" She rolled with it and into a standing position, only to have her legs swept right out from under her as the frog-like man slid through again.

She hadn't noticed in the darkness, but being so close, she could see that his skin and even his clothes was covered in a weird kind of slimy oil. Mito rolled along the ground as quick as she could, dodging the man's multiple attempts to stomp on her chest, as well as the kunai that tried to lodge itself in her legs. The young kunoichi sprung up with her claymore poised to spear through his body, but only managed to slice at his side

"You bitch! I'm going to strangle you slowly!" The man growled and held his bleeding side before reaching into a pouch and pulling out a small urn. "Or maybe I'll just light you on fire and dance around your screaming carcass!" The urn crashed against the flat of her sword and showered her in an odd smelling fluid.

Running through a few handseals of his own, her opponent put a hand to his lips and blew out, making a massive fireball that headed straight toward her. "**Goukakyu no Jutsu!**"

Euphoric fire sprung to life in her legs as she flung herself out of the way and onto a nearby tree branch, the flames licking barely at her feet. 'Shit! I need to end it quickly or I'm in trouble.' Thankfully the fire hadn't hit the caravan, bit it left a scorching mark on the ground. More of that familiar burn filled her legs as her eyes changed to their slitted yellow.

The branch broke underneath as Mito launched herself off it like a small blonde missile. A flash of silver crossed her opponent's chest, tearing a red streak through it and spraying blood along the ground. Did she get him?

Her opponent was tougher than she thought and fought through the pain while using the opportunity to slam his knee hard into her gut. Mito dropped her claymore and emptied her stomach right there, hacking up a small amount of blood along with it and gasping for air. "Be thankful, wench. I'm going to have a scar to remember you by. Now be a doll and die with those pretty eyes open for me." Two strong hands wrapped tightly around her throat and lifted her from the ground. Mito grasped and struggled, but couldn't get a grip on his arms to pry him off her kicks were growing weaker. Her eyes returned to normal shortly after.

She was afraid. He saw that she was afraid. And he laughed. She clawed and scratched, but his grip only tightened. "Look into my eyes and let me see your last moments. The thoughts that float through them. The delectable fear for who you're leaving behind!" His grin was maniacal, spread from ear to ear.

"**Gatsuuga!**"

"**Sen'ai Jashuu!**"

A whirling drill slammed into the man, releasing his grip on her throat. Mito coughed and sputtered as she gasped for air. Pythons sprung out of Anko's sleeve and wrapped around the oiled man, biting into his body to hold him still. He screamed in pain, cursing the purple-haired Jounin.

Hinata was at her side not long after to check her for injuries. Mild abdominal bruising as well as the starts of bruising around her neck. It could have been worse. "Thanks Hinata-chan..." Mito hoarsed out, causing the girl to flush a little. Taking a look around, it seemed like a majority of the bandits were dispatched during her fight with the Nuke-nin while the rest had made off with what they could get.

"You did a good job, gaki. All the shinobi here were C-rank defectors from their village. They managed to scrounge up a following of bandits and thought they could make a name for themselves by stealing from caravans so close to a hidden village. Dumbasses."

The venom injected into their captive caused so much pain that the man passed out shortly after he was caught.

"Hinata, check the caravan members for severe injuries. Kiba, Shino, survey the surroundings for any stragglers. Mito, take a breather." Kurenai was going to deal with the the rest of the bandits that hadn't totally been taken care of while Anko sealed up the unconscious Nuke-nins to put them in a state of stasis until they could turn them in.

Mito took her sword in hand and cleaned the blood from it before immediately running over to a bush and emptying the rest of her stomach into it. She hadn't killed before. Even Mizuki was still alive, or so she heard. Though, he was armless. The commotion in the area started to pick up as citizens started to crawl out of the passenger carriage since it was safe. Thankfully, there weren't any casualties, even among their guards. A gentle hand landed on her shoulder.

Turning her head, Mito spotted the softly smiling face of her Sensei. Nothing was said, though an understanding was reached as a small smile crossed the blonde's lips.

Three days after they arrived, the caravan's carts were mostly back in working condition. With the help of Team 8, everything proceeded smoothly and repairs were handled far ahead of schedule.

"How can we ever repay you?" An elderly man voiced aloud. He had a cane and a slight limp.

Kurenai smiled to the man and gave a short bow. "Don't worry about it. Payment will be taken care of by Konohagakure when the mission completion is processed."

The elder frowned and rubbed at his chin, a hum passing through his lips. "Ah, but there must be something. Perhaps we could resupply what you've used up until now? Rations and water, to compensate you." Kurenai tried to dissuade him, but the man was adamant.

Mito bowed in appreciation as she accepted the rations and extra canteen. It was a boon, in case something went awry. Cutting the girl from her thoughts was the sound of air being displaced and the smell of smoke. "Mitarashi Anko! Minato-sama has a new mission for your team!"

The Jounin blinked and stared down at the toad in front of her; one of the Hokage's personal summons. He was holding a scroll on his tongue. Taking it from the little guy, she gave it a quick read. "Effective when your current mission with Team 8 is complete, you are to assist Team 7 in Nami no Kuni. Hatake Kakashi can give you a full briefing when you arrive." Anko hummed to herself and turned to grin at her Genin. "You're a pretty lucky gaki. I didn't get to go out of the village until a month after I graduated."

Mito couldn't help the toothy grin that fell over her lips. It only grew as she caught the somewhat envious grunting of the Inuzuka heir. Anko turned back to the toad and handed him a small bundle of scrolls. "Take these to Hokage-sama. Let him know they contain Chuunin-rank Nuke-nin from the Bingo Book." He nodded and vanished in a puff of smoke moments later.

Kurenai hugged her purple-haired friend. "Thank you for accompanying us. We can handle it from here. And you too, Mito-san. I'd be happy to have you both with us again some time. The blonde scratched the back of her head and stuck her tongue out.

The pale-blonde gave Hinata a brief hug, flustering the Hyuuga heiress again. She took Shino's hand and gave it a brief shake before nodding at him, prompting the Aburame to nod back. Then she wrapped her arms around Kiba in a surprising hug, flustering him just as much as his teammate. She never thanked him for helping her out of that sticky situation, after all.

"Alright, let's get a move on gaki, before Kakashi's team gets in over their heads." One last wave goodbye to Team 8 and the caravan and they were off.

Kakashi flipped through the pages of a little orange book while he sat at Tazuna's dining room table. Anko and her apprentice would be arriving any day now. The Jounin Sensei of Team 7 had been injured fighting against an S-Rank Nuke-nin, Momochi Zabuza. Normally he would've abandoned the mission once the parameters passed into B-rank+ territory, but his younglings were insistent. Minato would have his head if he found out what kind of dangers the little Genin might be in.

He might've stretched the truth to the Hokage a little, but he'd deal with the consequences when they came. Regardless, they had backup on the way.

Though, things could very well go from bad to worse. Anko was a strong Kunoichi, and the two of them would be more than enough to handle Zabuza. But the contractor, Gato... He certainly wasn't a dumb man to have hired a Shinobi like Zabuza. If he brought anyone else in...

Kakashi was seriously rethinking the mission when there was a firm knock three times on the door. With any luck, that was their backup. Not taking any chances though, the Scarecrow slipped a kunai into his hand under the table as Tsunami answered the door. Tsunami was the daughter of the bridge builder who contracted Konoha for this mission.

His trained hearing could pick up everything that was being said.

"Hello? Oh! You must be the friends that Kakashi-san sent for. Please, follow me, he's just in the other room."

Kakashi released a sigh and slipped the kunai back into its holster. Tsunami rounded the corner, followed by Anko and her apprentice, Mito. The blonde was a peculiar one, to be sure. Since when did she carry around such a large sword?

"Hey there, ol' one-eye. I heard you got into a bit of trouble!" Anko took a seat across from the white-haired Jounin. Mito bowed to Tsunami and took a seat next to her Sensei.

Kakashi sighed and put his book away. Anko'd kill him if he read it during a mission briefing. "It's true. My team and I ran into two Chuunin level Shinobi. Nicknamed The Demon Brothers. They're nuke-nin from Mizugakure. Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun handled the situation perfectly. Not long after, we ran into Momochi Zabuza."

Mito's breath hitched and she froze. THE Momochi Zabuza?!

"Yes, THE Momochi Zabuza." Kakashi's single brow raised as the two Jounin looked at her.

Had she said that out loud? Coughing into her hand, Mito fought down the embarrassed flush in her cheeks. "I, uh... liked to sneak into Tou-san's library and look at the Bingo Books. I can't help but sort of admire someone that uses a sword like mine."

Team 7's Sensei sighed again and shook his head. "Right. Well, after fighting him, and being put into a sticky situation, he was put into a state of fake death by a mysterious Hunter-nin while I succumbed to chakra exhaustion."

Anko rested a cheek on her palm. "You've gotten pretty careless, Kakashi. Once you figured out he was still alive, you should've canceled the mission."

Tsunami, who was busy washing a few dishes, flinched at that. Anko's flat tone wasn't helping her words either.

The purple-haired woman stretched her arms behind her head. "But I guess that's why we're here in the first place. Y'know, make sure it doesn't all go to waste. Where are your little gakis anyways?"

Crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back, Kakashi shifted his single gaze between Anko and her student. "They're out protecting the bridge and its builder, Tazuna. And lending a hand where they can. The faster it's done, the quicker this place can be free."

That caught Mito's attention. "Free? What exactly is going on in Nami, Kakashi-san?"

The man frowned, though it wasn't seen under the mask he wore. "I should leave that for Tsunami-san to tell. This is her village after all."

Tsunami was tense, but she sighed and set her last dish down before taking a seat at the table. "Nami-no-Kuni was a prospering port village before Gato came. He's the worst kind of villain. He cut off our trade and bought out most of our companies." The woman shivered and fidgeted. "He won't hesitate to send his goons after anyone that's in his way. The man I fell in love with, he... He was a very good man. The village loved him. My son loved him."

Tsunami hiccuped and had to choke back a few tears. "And Gato made an example out of him." The village had only fallen into a worse state after that. A rapid decline as money became scarce and food became a luxury. People sold their homes and others disappeared entirely, assumed to be offed by Gato and his men. She couldn't continue further as a few tears ran down her cheeks.

Anko sighed deeply. "I can see why ya didn't wanna just up and leave the mission. Well now that we know what we're up against, we should probably get the gakis up to speed once they're all together."

The pale blonde was gritting her teeth. A single man was causing all the suffering here? Obviously not just him, but he was at the root of it.

The white-haired man nodded in agreement. "The bridge will likely be finished by the end of the week. I predict Zabuza will be ready in about four days, I should be at full strength by then too. We should do some joint combat training to keep our teams on their toes."

The sun was starting to set by the time Team 7 returned to the house. Mito hummed to herself as she cut into a few carrots. Her claymore as well as the rest of her gear was stored up in the room that the Konoha teams were sharing. She felt kind of bad for just intruding on Tsunami's house like this, so helping her prepare dinner was the least she could do.

"I totally lifted more than you, teme!"

"In your dreams. You had to get help from another worker, dobe. You know that doesn't count."

"Will you two shut up already? Besides, we all know Sasuke-kun carried more than you, Naruto-baka!"

Mito sighed and turned to smile at her fellow Genin. They froze when they spotted the silver-eyed girl.

"Eh? Mito-chan? What are you doing here?" Had Kakashi not informed them? He really was irresponsible.

Sasuke was caught off guard, but he merely let out a grunt in greeting and took a seat at the table.

Sakura grimaced. She never really liked Mito. The blonde might not have realized it herself, but the pinkette could tell. The girl was a definite rival for her Sasuke-kun's affections. They were basically childhood friends, and when she flirted with him, he flirted back. The biggest clue was how she could catch Sasuke's eyes on the blonde while Sakura was watching the Uchiha heir.

"It's nice to see you too, Sasuke-kun." Mito's tone was practically mocking in nature, but the fact that she said it at all made Sakura bristle. "And you as well Sakura-san! I hope Naru-nii hasn't caused too much trouble." Naruto pouted and took a seat next to Sasuke. "And to answer your question. I'm here with my Sensei for backup."

The Namikaze daughter scooped her carrots into a bowl before handing it off to Tsunami and taking a seat at the table. She was wearing a light blue apron over her normal Kunoichi gear.

Sasuke found his eyes wandering to her's though he was subtle enough to only take small peaks. Ever since they'd met, she was weird. He'd never been into the opposite sex much since the girls in his class were mostly useless. Some were smart, but they didn't have the drive to make it far. He could still appreciate the female form though. Especially in Mito. Her eyes were like pools of mercury and her hair wasn't far off from being snow-like in appearance. It was odd and captivating to the young Uchiha.

The only caveat was that she had a major thing for his brother. How Itachi couldn't see it was beyond him. The shorter blonde would do her best impression of a tomato whenever Itachi even looked in her direction.

It caused a pang of something in his chest just thinking about it.

"...And then I disguised my clone as the shuriken and had the teme throw that under the first one! You should've seen the look on Zabuza's face!" Naruto's boisterous laughing could be heard throughout the whole house as Mito voiced her disbelief.

Tsunami was just about done with dinner and was starting to set out plates for all of them. Thankfully there were just enough chairs to accommodate their Konoha guests at the table. "No way you came up with that plan! I bet it was Sasuke's the whole time. Or Sakura-san's!"

Naruto looked feigned hurt, but it quickly went away when a large bowl of rice, beef, and vegetables was placed in front of him. The boy could be seen salivating, but he wasn't the only one. A collective stomach growl came from the group of four Genin.

Kakashi and Anko had been in the guest room discussing possible plans of action, but the smell of the food had drawn them down. The Mitarashi plopped into a seat next to Mito and took a big whiff of her meal. "Smells great, Tsunami-san!"

Team 7 hadn't seen Anko yet, so she was quite the surprise. Naruto had to fight down the red in his cheeks whenever she caught the blonde staring.

Tazuna was just coming out of the washroom when he sat down at the head of the table. "My Tsunami makes the best stew this side of Nami! You gakis better be grateful!" The man laughed. "By the way, where's Inari?"

The builder's daughter sighed. Her son hadn't come out of his room ever since the Konoha nin arrived. She had to bring his meals to his room. "Still in his room." She walked out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. "Inari, please get down here and eat!"

He should at least meet the people that were going to save them.

Only a few minutes later a child about the age of 8 peeked around the corner and slowly made his way into a seat next to his grandfather. The kid looked like he swallowed a bug. His mouth was set firmly in distaste, but his eyes... Mito recognized the look of constant grief and pain in them.

"Thanks for joinin' us Inari. These are the ninja from Konoha. Your Ojii-san paid them to protect us from Gato while we build the bridge." Tazuna sighed a little. He wouldn't force Inari to interact with them, but maybe the meeting might cheer the kid up a little.

The kid seemed to ignore them at first, only briefly looking to each of the Genin and their Senseis with even more disdainful eyes.

"Itaidakimasu!"

It didn't take long for an oppressive silence to fall over the group, which was only made worse by the few questions passed back and forth between Tsunami, Tazuna, Anko and Mito. Since they were new, or newer here than Team 7, they at least wanted to get to know them a little.

"I'm actually Naruto-nii's younger sister. Not by much though. Only a few minutes, really!" Mito swallowed a mouthful of food and wiped away any excess with a napkin.

Tsunami and Tazuna gave a look of surprise. The two hardly looked anything alike, except for maybe the whisker markings on their cheeks. But those could easily be mistaken for tattoos rather than birthmarks or the like.

This prompted a snorting laugh from the pale blonde as her brother choked down some food in an eating contest with Sasuke. "We get that look a lot. But it's not uncommon to have siblings that don't look alike, right?"

Speaking of Naruto, the blonde was glaring Sasuke down as both reached their third bowl of food, cheeks packed to the brim. Sakura watched in disgusted awe as the two fought down the urge to be sick just to pack more food into themselves. She had barely even touched her's.

A chopstick impacted the whiskered blonde's forehead, startling him enough to rock his chair back and send Naruto tumbling to the ground in a coughing and choking fit. Sasuke almost had a laugh at his rival's expense, if it weren't for the fact that everything he'd eaten chose that moment to want to come back up.

"Nice shot, gaki." Anko grinned and elbowed her apprentice.

Mito wiped a tear from her eye as Naruto shot her a glare. Kakashi sighed and Tsunami tried her best not to laugh.

"...why are you all so care free?"

The question was barely above a whisper, but a silence returned to the table right after. Sakura was the first to speak up. "What do-"

"Why are you all even here!? Don't you know you're just going to die?!" Inari pounded his palms onto the table and stood up. "Gato's unbeatable! He'll kill all of you!"

"Inari!" Tazuna tried to placate the boy, but he wasn't having any of it.

Tears of frustration streamed down the child's face. "Don't you know you're just throwing your lives away? You can't win!"

Naruto picked himself up and sat back in his chair. "Don't worry about it!" He flashed a grin and pointed a thumb back at himself. "We're all super awesome ninja from Konoha; we won't fail, 'ttebayo!"

"Why don't you get it? Gato's men are too strong! They'll kill anybody!" Inari sniffled and dug his nails into his palms. "No matter how much you think you train it'll never be enough. He makes everyone suffer no matter who they are!"

Sasuke glared, but remained silent. Sakura was gritting her teeth as she thought of something, anything, to say that might calm him down. A second set of palms hit the table as Mito stood from her chair.

"So that's it then? You're just going to let this Gato walk all over you without even putting up a fight?" She couldn't listen to this. He was spitting on everything that his grandfather was doing. "I know how you feel, but when you allow a tyrant to-"

"What do you know!?" Inari shouted, tears dripping from his cheeks as he yelled his frustrations. "You don't know anything about this land! The way you talk and the way you all look, it's clear that you don't know anything about pain and suffering!"

Mito's eyes darkened and a familiar fire sprung up in her chest, but it was quickly beat down before it could grow. If her eyes changed here, it'd be troublesome. "Enough to know that no matter how much you suffer, you can't just lie down and die." Her hands slammed on the table, rattling it. "If you're beaten down, you get back up! If they cut off your limbs, you bite them to death! Because living a life otherwise, is..." She bit into her lip hard enough to draw blood. If she continued, things might get ugly.

And she was gone, shaking off Anko's attempt to stop her. As soon as Mito cleared the door her eyes took on a yellow-orange hue and her pupils became slitted as she let the euphoria flow into her limbs. Her speed increased, allowing her to dart off into the nearby forest before anyone could chase after her.

"Dammit!" The pale blonde slammed a fist into a tree, cracking the wood underneath. "I can't believe I let that kid get to me!" She roared her frustration at herself and gripped at her almost silvery locks.

"**You should have just killed him.**"

She froze.

What was that?

"**If you killed him, he wouldn't have to suffer anymore.**"

What-no, why would she think that? She wouldn't do something like that! Who was talking to her?!

"**If you killed him, you could show him what pain really felt like.**"

He was just a kid. He didn't deserve that! And he was just expressing his grief, he-

"**If you killed him-**"

"Shut up!" Mito slammed her forehead into a tree and panted, sweat dripping from her brow.

The voice was silent afterwards, but the words echoed in her mind.

She shivered. The voice was filled with so much hate, but flowed like silk.

Mito breathed a heavy, relieved sigh and rubbed at her shoulders. She must be hearing things.

Standing up straight, the girl cracked her neck a little and sighed again. "Strange. I'm probably just stressed." The Hokage's daughter chuckled to herself. Yeah, stressed.

"Well, whatever the case, I don't feel like going back there just yet. I might as well get some training in while I can."

Flaring her chakra and flying through a few handsigns, Mito activated the only Jutsu she'd been able to properly learn at this point. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

* * *

Anko sighed and brushed a hand through her hair as she heard the door slam seconds after her apprentice left the room. Inari sniffled and hiccuped before he stormed off and stomped up the stairs.

Tsunami just looked confused. "What the hell was that all about?" And Tazuna was no different.

"The gaki's living proof that our village ain't as perfect as it's made out to be. She can't even drink Green Tea without wantin' to piss herself." Anko leaned back in her chair. That only caused more confusion for the residents of Nami.

Naruto stood from his seat and made his way up the stairs. "I'll go talk to him. I can't just leave someone who needs help!"

Sasuke followed soon after, though he was just going to lie down. The whole thing was giving him a headache.

The pinkette of the team scratched her head a little before she moved to collect some of the dirty dishes. She might as well help out too. "Anko-sensei, shouldn't someone go after her?"

The woman picked her teeth with a toothpick before standing into a stretch. "She just needs to cool off. She'll come back when she's ready."

The rest of the Konoha nin settled in for the night, resting for the next day when they'd start joint training exercises.


End file.
